


The Red Prince

by lazywitch



Category: Haikyuu!!, Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Ice Skating, M/M, big sigh, i mean he does get hurt and he does get comforted, i will bet my broken fingers that hinata will say fuck in russian, i... ended up writing more than i thought, ice skating romance?? on ice??, let the boy say fuck, my dudes i just wanna see this boy figure skate, thats the plan aint it, will add more tags as i go along ahah
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2020-03-10 01:55:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18928936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazywitch/pseuds/lazywitch
Summary: 'A cold, cold floor stands before me in a bright world. What's the view from inside that rink? What does it look like? "The Ice Kingdom." If I skate on it, will I continue to see it?' Hinata has been skating since the age of 6, but after losing in a competition, he quits and switches to volleyball. Yet, the past always has a way of catching up to you.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> haha have fun

Hinata Shouyou was impatient, with how much he was pacing back and forth before the ice rink and biting his thumb. His partner mentioned that she was going to use the toilet before their turn came up to perform - and he understood, seeing as how he usually did the same when he gets overwhelmed - but their turn was inching closer. His coach looks at his tiny form with worry.

"I'm sure Kiyo-chan will come, Hinata. Why don't we try breathing exercises while we wait?" His coach said, her voice light with a bit of anticipation. Hinata nodded, taking a deep breath.

All his life, he'd been figure skating. Since the age of 6, he had been inseparable with the glistening floor, sleek and smooth, waiting for him to glide. Whenever he had the chance, he would watch the Grand Prix with amazement and wonder, hoping one day, his lanky form will soon become like those that were full of color and beauty.

The glimmering world seemed so far away, and in fear of missing out, he took every chance to skate. He entered the mini contests on his own, often racking up 1st place rewards, with few 2nd place medals. It earned him the nickname Red Prince - his skill on the ice outshined the other kids. It wasn't until the pair skating became popular did he decided to look for partners. He loomed over the girls and very few boys, hoping one would be like him. His gaze pierced through the few children he studied during public practice.

He one day found a girl named Sakamura Kiyo, whom, like him, fell in love with this strange, cold world. Her eyes were as black as the night, as was her hair that drifted past her shoulders - the direct contrast to Hinata's burning orange hair and bright eyes. They had created a program, choosing a simple and elegant routine with a soft piano song to skate to.

Yet, no sign of her appeared at their first Junior tournament together, and as Hinata Shouyou began to panic, his duet was announced. He looked at his coach, with a look of anxiety and fear.

"I'm going to talk to the announcer, okay?" She leaned over, patting his head, "Go and search for Kiyo-chan."

Immediately, the 13 year old Hinata bolted past her, pushing through the string of adults and kids alike. He began towards the female restrooms, though he never ventured in. He walked around a bit more, tightening his hold on his shirt, before finally, finally, spotting her flowing red gown in the distance.

As he was about to call for her, he spots her talking to someone. A tall boy, almost his age, with striking blond hair and matching blue eyes. He looked to be a skater, but with his height, Hinata would have mistaken him as a high schooler.

"Do you even like skating with him? With... whats-his-name." He overheard them. Kiyo gave him an exasperated look.

"Not really. The only reason why I even agreed to be his partner was that he's the Prince." Kiyo grimaced, not noticing the small, yet quivering redhead behind her. "He kinda sucks sometimes though. Like, if I wanted to twirl in the air, I can't because Hinata is so short! He's useless!"

_"Kiyo?"_  Hinata's voice was high and pitched, almost on the verge of tears. Kiyo jumped at the note when she turned around. She paled.

"H-Hinata? I-I didn't-"

"We're going to be late. Let's go."

At that, Hinata began walking away. He didn't care if she was going to follow or not at this point, because what was on his mind the most were the words Kiyo had called him.

_'Useless.'_

_'But so what!?'_  He thought back, but his eyes had already begun to sting. As he squeezed through the group to his coach, he looked out to the floor.

It didn't look as beautiful as it use to be now.

* * *

 

They skated a lovely piece, their skates tight as the smiles they held. Hinata could feel the breeze of his speed, focusing on his hold on Kiyo, before suddenly he felt his heart stopped.

He lost his grip on Kiyo as he attempted to spin with her. The girl slid across the ice, losing her footing, before slamming hard into the rink's wall. A loud thud echoed through the stadium, a look of shock spreading across the audience as Kiyo stumbled up. Hinata rushes over to her, worry etched onto his frame. He held out his hand to help.

She pushed him away and skated off the ice.

_"I don't need your help, you dumb prince."_

He followed shortly as the announcer distracted the audience.

...

Although the program had been wonderful, they fell into the last place. Their competitors looked at them with pity as realization dawn on Hinata Shouyou when he gripped the bronze medal against his chest.

The Red Prince has fallen.

* * *

He biked home that evening, already sobbing to himself as he pushed through the empty streets of his hometown. Hinata wasn't very good at hiding his emotions around others but he held it in until he rode home by himself.

He didn't look nor talked to Kiyo the entire time after her comment. Even though his coach tried to coerce them back into talking, it was useless as Kiyo made it painfully clear she did not want to talk. Hinata was fine with that as he left the rink. The moment he rode on his bike though, all his tears unleashed. He sobbed into his bike handle as he threaded through tiny alleys and quiet neighborhoods. With it being so late, he figured no one would notice his display.

He cried until his legs gave way and he tumbled forward, falling over his bike and laying limp in front of the electronics store. He laid there on the concrete, angry and sad as he looked up into the setting sky.

Angry at Kiyo for not  _trusting_  him, for not believing in him, despite being his partner for months.

Angry at  _losing_  in the only sport that made him feel free. He felt like a part of himself broke that early evening when he felt his legs began to drag and ache. It felt like he was walking through cement, despite knowing the program like the back of his hand. When his grip on Kiyo slipped, he begged whatever God to make him move to catch her momentum, but he couldn't.

Hinata grumbled to himself, wanting to scream and cry even more, but the flicker of the show on the tv caught his attention. He sat up, his hands slowly wiping away his tears as he looked at the screen.

His eyes widen- there, right  _there_ , someone was flying.

**'Karasuno's Little Giant spikes another! Landing them at the set point after a challenging display against Randamu!'**

_'Volley... ball?'_  Hinata sniffed, rubbing away the few tears on his face. He never heard of volleyball being a sport other than to mock him for being so short.  _'But... the Little Giant is also short... and he's... flying...'_

The noise from the crowd had gone mute when another ball lifted into the air. It switched from player to player until Karasuno's setter got to it, making a passing smile to the ace. The Little Giant ran back before dashing forward, his arms swinging behind him. Hinata clutched his shirt, feeling his heart beat when he swore he saw black wings spread wide on Karasuno's ace.

His eyes glimmered when the ball made contact with the spiker's hand.

_'I... I want to play volleyball!'_

* * *

 

_"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS?!"_  Kageyama yelled, his voice echoing as Hinata held his breath.

It felt like time had stopped before him when his eyes met the cold, stark blue that resembled the ice he use to skate on. He shook it off, wanting to fight back, bite back and call him an asshole, but he found that he couldn't. His words died as he watched the other walk away, disappointment and anger waving off of him like the light. Hinata felt a pat on his back.

_"Geez, what's his problem?"_  His friend commented, but Hinata couldn't help but agree with what Kageyama said.

What had he been doing these past 3 years...?

* * *

Even as a first year now, his heart ached whenever he biked past the ice skating stadium. It also had a court for basketball players and volleyball players to play in, but Hinata couldn't bring himself to go back. Not after losing. Not after running away.

But his heart ached to jump so high and complete an axel. Skating on that off-white, cold surface, feeling the anticipation of his planned act. When he shifts his weight from one foot to another or grabbing onto his blades as he swings to spin, he feels excited and in control all at once.

After 2 years, he still feels the desire to feel free and alive, but-

_'It's the same for volleyball,'_  He reminded himself, shaking his head and continuing his ride. After that horrible loss from Aoba Josei, Hinata pushed on to become an even more outstanding decoy. He didn't have time to figure out quads or make a program.

_'Even though...,'_  his mind wandered,  _'Jumping and spiking the ball feels really nice, it's not the same as jumping through the air or pushing myself to glide faster to do a triple loop... or, would a Lutz- wait, that wouldn't work for a first quad- though would it?'_

His mind wondered a bit, as he finally arrived at his school, locking it at the bike stop and rushing in. Hinata hummed lightly as he made a mental image of the first quad.

_'I-it's not like I'm actually going to do it, but it... it should be simple first so I wouldn't lose too much stamina, right?'_  He nodded to himself, his eyes glazed as he dreamt of the cold, off-white floor,  _'the first quad can have little toe jumps, before a big transition into the next quad, filled with more-'_

"Hinata."

_'But, maybe a toe loop would be nice in the second one? Like a soft hop-'_

"Oi, Hinata."

_'Hmm, I'd like to hear the music before I-'_

"Hey, dumbass! Are you listening?!"

"WH-!" Hinata looked up at the piercing eyes of Kageyama, "W-what is it, Kageyama-kun?"

The setter made an annoying sound, "I've been calling your name for the past minute dumbass. Pay more attention to your surroundings."

_'Ah, was I really that lost in thought?'_  He smiled at the taller boy, looking apologetic, "Sorry, Kageyama-kun! I was kinda thinking of some stuff."

A huff, "You actually use that brain of yours?"

"Of course, I do, Bakageyama-" he was interrupted when the setter gripped onto his head, "-aH, I'm sorry! Sorry!"

Kageyama released his grip on the shorter boy's head, clicking his tongue at him, "What the hell were you thinking about anyway?"

At that, Hinata paused, feeling a little uncomfortable. It wasn't like he 100% hated Kageyama, but he wasn't entirely sure if he should let him know that he use to figure skate. With what their fight after their loss, and Hinata's own envy of Kageyama's skills, Hinata couldn't help but want to keep the other a little farther from his heart. But then again, they are partners-

_'No, no, no- he'll definitely make fun of me! Much more, think I'm some loser who ran from ice skating-!'_  Hinata grabbed the hem of his shirt, tensing at the thought. A flash of Kiyo's eyes comes to his mind.

"N-nothing much, Kageyama-kun," quickly, he changed the subject, "Besides, don't we have an English quiz today?"

"Oh, fuck."

* * *

There were very few things Kageyama Tobio hated more than losing in volleyball. Oikawa, for instance, with his smug-ass smile and his constantly annoying skills in serving. Another was pickled plum in his onigiri. He will fight with anyone who disagrees on this.

But things, of course, change with time. How he serves, how much he is aware of his teammates, how much he trusts them... Kageyama isn't sure how much change he can really handle, but he knows without change, he can't become stronger.

But there was one hurdle he found was going to be a pain in the ass.

Dealing with how  _easily_  Hinata Shouyou lied to him.

Now, Kageyama was by no means a genius (except in volleyball), but he knows when Hinata lied to him. He'd done it before, and it nearly cost them the game, ruined practice, and whatever friendship they shared. Like  **hell**  if Kageyama was going to let that happen again.

Even during practice right now, Hinata isn't fucking  _focusing!_

"Hinata, I swear to God if you don't focus-"

"I am- I am! C-can you stop grabbing my head- It hurts!" Hinata whimpered, gripping tight onto Kageyama's hand. At this rate, Hinata might as well turn bald by the time he becomes a third year.

"Then focus, dumbass! I don't know what your deal is recently, but if it messes up our quicks, I'm going to-"

"I get it! Sorry, geez-" Hinata pouted once Kageyama's released his head. The setter huffed at the smaller boy, turning away to walk back so he can serve.

The other team members looked on with a bit of interest. It wasn't surprising when the two would start a fight, but they know better. It was obvious to the third-years Daichi, Suga, and Asahi that Kageyama is a little concerned about Hinata. Although, they were curious about what Hinata had been thinking to distract him from volleyball practice.

Daichi took action first, "Alright, let's form a 3-on-3 for now. Tsukishima, go on Kageyama's and Narita's team-"

The tall middle-blocker clicked his tongue at the mention of Kageyama.

"-Suga, Asahi, and Nishinoya on the other side. Hinata, come over here and we'll practice some receives, okay?" At that, everyone separated at their captain's request.

Hinata walked over a little slowly, feeling a bit uneasy. It's not that he mind practicing receives - God knows he needs to work on that, too - but from the look on his captain's face makes him feel a little apprehensive.

_'Well… it is Daichi-san after all. I don't think he'll think I'm weird if I tell him I use to figure skate…'_  Just as Daichi throws the ball in the air, Hinata's eyes immediately focus on the cusp of sunlight that touched the ball. He wanted to jump and spike it, but he leaned down, his knees slightly bent, as Daichi smacks the ball hard towards him.

It goes on a bit, with nothing but the sound of small comments and sneakers squeaking on the court floor. Daichi waited patiently, keeping track of his control on the ball as well as the first-year in front of him. Somedays, he wonders if being a captain of these little crows is worth the headaches.

"Hinata…," He began, causing the boy to flinch a little as the ball smacked his forearms loudly. It made the ball flow upwards a bit, but the timing was perfect as Hinata caught it. "...are you doing okay?"

"Hm?" Hinata tilted his head, "I think so? Why?"

"You seem a lot more distracted than normal. What's going on?" Daichi asked, tone light as he watched the other shift from side to side.

"It's nothing… really," The middle-blocker sighed, twirling the ball between his fingers.

Daichi stayed silent, waiting for more information.

"R-really… maybe…" Hinata trailed off a little, before looking up at the ceiling. "I just... I guess I miss... skating."

"Skating?" Well, that wasn't what Daichi expected to hear. He'd assume something was going on at home or maybe he got caught up on some drama, but skating? "As in… rollerblading or…?"

Hinata laughs lightly at that, "I, um, I use to figure skate. When I was younger." He lifted the ball high, before passing it to Daichi. "I was good at it, until, well, I started playing volleyball in my last year of junior high."

"Huh, I never pegged you as a figure skater, Hinata," Daichi smiled, making Hinata smile as well, "But is that what's really bothering you?"

At that, Hinata's smile tightened as his shoulders tense up. "I…"

Daichi sighed a little at his underclassman's nervousness. "It's alright if you want to go ice skate, as long as it doesn't bother practice, Hinata."

"I-It's… nothing really..."

"Hm. Either you don't like ice skating anymore-" Daichi lifts the ball high, watching with a bit of interest as Hinata immediately perks at the action, "-or maybe something happened that made you stop skating."

Hinata flinched. He didn't react as the ball flew past him, his hair swaying at the speed. His eyes widen at Daichi's gaze, a strong and firm stare reminiscent of Kiyo's. His own eyes drop to the ground.

"I-I have to use the restroom! Please excuse me-"

Hinata rushes out the gym, not noticing the concerned gazes of his teammates.

"Hinata…?"

* * *

Yuri Katsuki had been figure skating since God knows how long. His interest was piqued when he watched Viktor Nikiforov ice skate at the World Championships and Grand Prix Finals, winning gold medals like a child receiving free candy. His inspiration had gotten him to the point of finally attending the tournament before his wonderful dog passed away - in addition to being in the last place (as well as being threatened by another Yuri in the men's bathroom).

He grew up practicing mostly by himself, occasionally teaming up with his two childhood friends, Yuuko and Takeshi, as well as taking ballet lessons from Minako (who convinced him to figure skate in the first place). He never would have thought he would meet an energetic boy with hair like the sun at a public ice rink one day.

_"Oh, um, are you doing alright, little boy?"_  Yuri asked, wondering why this short 6 year old wasn't stepping onto the ice.

The boy looked up at him with bright eyes, and unashamedly yelled,  _"I don't know how to skate!"_

_"...pfft."_

That fateful day, Yuri taught this bright child named Hinata Shouyou how to ice skate. He gave lessons to the best of his ability, being a novice during that time, but Hinata took all the lessons with great vigor and excitement. Yuri couldn't help but think that this boy was beyond precious.

Even during their short practices, Hinata would show up, full of energy and life. Yuri couldn't tell what would melt first - him or the ice. Yuuko and Takeshi took great fun poking at them, commenting that little Hinata was like a duckling as the boy attempt to follow Yuri's steps. If the little one practiced well, he'd eat ice cream while they all sit and watch competitors ice skate in the break room (especially Viktor's amazing programs).

Yuri could tell if Hinata wanted to compete against him, he'd be in trouble.

…

When Yuri came back home from the Grand Prix Finals, he wasn't prepared to disappoint Hinata - the boy who always looked up to him and saw him as a big brother. What was he going to say to that bright face of pure sunshine? He felt his stomach twist as he leaves the train platform.

When he arrived, Minako greeted his line of sight, bubbly and excited as Yuri tried to hide his weight and sense of failure. They both made way for Yuri's home, and as they entered the restaurant, his eyes fell onto the face of a little boy whose eyes burned. Yuri couldn't even look at him.

Until Hinata started crying.

Yuri's first instinct was to run, but instead, he bent down, bowing low as his eyes clenched shut.

_"I'm… I'm sorry, Hina-chan-"_

_"I'M SORRY!"_

_"...eh?"_  Yuri looked up at the little boy, his face shocked as behind him, Minako sighed.

Hinata rubbed his eyes quickly, one hand gripping tightly onto his white t-shirt,  _"I'm sorry- I'm sorry I let Vicchan go to heaven without seeing you win. I'm sorry-"_

_"Hina-chan…"_

Hinata leaps forward, clutching tight onto Yuri's coat to hide his tears,  _"I… I'm sorry, Yuri-nii… I'm sorry..."_

Yuri could feel his heartbreak at the poor boy's cries, so he held him tight, breathing evening to try and hold in his own tears,  _"It's okay, Hina-chan, it's okay. I'm here now."_

The little one sniffed, looking up with his eyes dimmed and red from crying,  _"...Yuri-nii…?"_

_"Hm?"_

_"...welcome home."_

…

When Viktor arrived, all hell breaks loose. When Yuri told what had happened and that Viktor will be staying at the bathhouse inn with the Katsuki family, Hinata buzzed with so much excitement he burst through the onsen to see...

...a naked Viktor.

To the boy's embarrassment, Viktor only seemed to tease and make fun of Hinata, saying that if he eats his veggies, he'll grow up to become like Viktor. Hinata's ears burned brighter at the elder's fun.

When Hinata met Yurio, the child instinctively tried to hide from him. The then-15 year old Yurio didn't much care for the squirt, thinking his skills on the ice probably didn't match his own.

Yurio did  _not_  enjoy finding out that the 11-year-old was just as good as he was when he was at the Junior tournaments. If he wasn't careful, Yurio thought he might have to knock this kid down a peg. He came here to force Viktor to keep his promise, not to scope out a potential competitor. Yet, just as the Hot Springs on Ice competition came closer, Yurio didn't feel too angry at Viktor for forgetting his promise since his Agape short amazed the little boy.

_"You were so cool, Yurio-senpai! You went swoosh and phsshhh on the ice!"_  Hinata buzzed after a practice session one day. Viktor and Yuri could only watch in amusement as Yurio's ears turned a little red at the compliments.

_"O-obviously! When you reach my level, you might even be able to perform it, мышонок."_

Hinata made a face,  _"M... Myush... ka?"_

_"мышонок."_

_"Myshka."_

_"No, мышонок."_

_"M-Myushika?"_

Yurio groaned at Viktor's laughing, Yuri next to him chuckling at the small boy's attempts to speak Russian.  _"It's not so hard to say it! It's like, мышонок!"_

_"That doesn't help, Yurio-senpai!"_

A sigh,  _"Блядь."_

_"B... bli-ad?"_

Viktor lost it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My, my, well it's been a while since I've written a fanfic. I like this idea so far because this had been the only one I've completed an outline for (me? planning ahead for a story? it's more likely than you think >:3c)
> 
> I hope you enjoy this, and if I'm wrong on some terminology, please don't be afraid to correct me. 
> 
> Also, the two russian words? Yurio calls Hinata мышонок (mysh') which means mouse and the second one Блядь (blyad') which means fuck. 
> 
> Yurio don't teach little Hinata curse words >:cc


	2. The Challenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slightly shorter chapter, but i'm having fun
> 
> thank you for everyone's support! ;w;;;;
> 
> i also have the exact fanfiction available on fanfiction.net if you prefer that website. it's under the same title, as well as my username Lizard but Wizard (including tumblr, dA, etc. I might draw some art for this story as well ;9)
> 
> As usual, have fun, be safe, and согласно всем известным законам авиации … >:3cccc

Out of curiosity, Daichi started looking into figure skating online during lunch. He was sure that something must've happened to make his underclassman bail out of a sport. It wasn't like Hinata to stop doing something he loves altogether unless something bad had actually happened.

 _'If this drags onto volleyball, Karasuno's best years might not ever happen,'_ he thought, sipping impatiently at his boxed juice. He leans back against the stairway where he sat, blinking in surprise as he made eye contact with Takeda-sensei, who was walking down the stairs.

"Oh…?"

...

"Ah, you're curious about figure skating?" Takeda-sensei asks, smiling gently at the captain. The 3rd year nods.

"It's not for me, but I was wondering about how it works and stuff."

Takeda-sensei gave him a knowing smile, "Are you talking about Hinata-kun?" Daichi looks up at him in surprise.

"You... know about Hinata's skating?"

Takeda-sensei beams excitedly, "He was really good at it, y'know? He was tutored by Katsuki Yuri, and worked alongside Nikiforov Viktor and Plisetsky Yuri, all of which, mind you, are gold-winning medalists! Just recently, Katsuki Yuri won the gold medal at the Grand Prix Finals after having Viktor be his coach for the second season!!"

Daichi sweats a little at the teacher’s excitement, raising a brow at the info, "W-wait, so... Hinata was taught by these pros...?"

Takeda-sensei brightly smiles, raising his phone, "I have some videos I downloaded of Hinata's performances when he was a kid. I also have some from Viktor and Yuri- Ah, _both_ Yuri's. I'm a huge fan of Viktor, so when I heard that our Hinata is the same as the Hinata who skates, I was really excited!"

Daichi blinks in surprise at his teacher's little ramble, but nods nonetheless, "C-can I see those videos?"

"Absolutely!” He exclaimed, but then frowns a little, "I do hope I get to see Hinata perform one day. I don't quite remember what caused him to quit, but I know his skill on the ice is drop dead amazing! He isn't called the Red Prince for nothing, y'know?"

Daichi echos with pure disbelief. "Haha... the Red Prince..."

...

 _'What the fuCk-_ **_what_ ** _the fuck, what the fuck...'_ Daichi cursed, blinking in amazement while he watches the few recordings of Hinata's figure skating programs.

 _'Red Prince my ass! It's like you own the world of ice- like an ice king or something! How the hell did he jump to spin like that? Is that a 360 flip or something!?'_ He scratches his head angrily, before squinting down at his phone.

 _'What the_ **_hell_ ** _made you quit figure skating, Hinata?'_  

* * *

 "Alright, come around here guys, I've got some news." Coach Ukai called, patiently waiting as his team quietly surrounds him. After that lost at the Interhigh, it really humbled them and calmed them down from their usual playfulness and arrogance. Even Hinata seemed more resigned. 

"As you know, thanks to our lost with Aoba Josei, we won't be able to try our shot at Nationals-" instantly, the group tenses, "-But, we do have a chance. If we can power-up our game during our practices, we can participate in the Spring High tournament and make a shot at nationals."

"Um, coach," Suga slowly raises his hand, capturing everyone's attention, "Are you suggesting we're going to a practice camp?"

When Coach Ukai smiled in confirmation, the group immediately buzzed. The stagnant air around them started to lift when Takeda-sensei stepped forward. Something was odd in his smile, but only Hinata seemed to notice. There was something off in the way the teacher glanced at him.

"I was able to set up a time and place for the practice camp, and unfortunately, we won't be in our usual Tokyo spot." Takeda-sensei’s eyes suddenly gleamed behind those glasses.

"I asked from the other teams as well, and they all happily agreed to join us in our practice camp in Hasetsu!"

Hinata's usually sunny disposition sank as his face turned pale. _‘H-Hasetsu? That's... where Yuri-nii's home rink is...'_

Despite the excitement bubbling from everyone, the first year clutched his stomach in a panic. He could feel his hands turning cold and numb, like as if he was dropped into the freezing ocean. His eyes dropped to the floor, feeling the weight of past decisions as his stomach started to twist into knots.

"...Hinata?" Kageyama commented, standing right beside the boy with a touch of concern. Usually, the little crow would be off and about, jumping with energy at the mention of going to a practice camp. However, the look Hinata held look like someone had taken his life. "Hey, dumbass, why the hell aren't you excited?"

Hinata's eyes trailed up to the owner of that voice and softly mumbled with a smile plastered onto his face, "I... I'm okay. Really. Excited about practice camp at... H-Hasetsu..."

Kageyama felt incredibly uneasy at the dreaded look in Hinata's eyes and his fake smile. He tried to force his hands to grip- grab- do _anything-_ to knock this guys ass to the ground. What the fuck kind of expression is that?

He didn't realize he was holding onto his breath until Hinata left, rushing out saying he needed to use the toilet. Tanaka makes a funny comment that Noya laughs at, but no one else really thought it unusual.

Yet, out of the corner of his eye, Kageyama spots Daichi and Tsukishima making brief eye contact before nodding. What the hell was that? What's going on?

He has a feeling it might be involved with how the other has been distracted lately...

...

Tsukishima did not miss that look of fear that crossed Hinata’s face earlier. He thought he was the only one, but a side-glance at his captain told him otherwise. Out of his cursed curiosity, he raised an eyebrow in question. Daichi only frowned before shaking his head.

“It used to be where Hinata figure skates,” He scratches his head lightly, looking over as Hinata returned from the bathroom, looking significantly better but with a wary air about him. “He’s amazing, judging from the few videos online, but he mysteriously quit all of a sudden.”

Tsukishima looks over at Hinata in pure disbelief that this strange boy could be anything but a sad little middle-blocker. As he was about to refute Daichi's claim, Hinata bends down and easily lay flat against the ground, his legs perfectly straight in a front-facing split. His voice died down that maybe, perhaps, that this boy could conceivably be a figure skater.

 _'Wait, no, think about this logically,'_ He thought, squaring his shoulders and looking away. _'There's no way this damn shrimp is a figure skater. He's a far cry from those elegant people. I bet he doesn't even know how to skate!'_

He glances back over again as Hinata does a side split, reaching back to his left foot and pulling it up towards his shoulders. Tsukishima pales at what looks incredibly uncomfortable - yet, Hinata makes it look like it's nothing, judging by how loudly he's talking to Kageyama.

He faces away, _'Okay. Maybe. It... does explain why he's damn good at jumping. And his speed. His flexibility. His fucking stamina._

_...fuck, he really is a figure skater.'_

He frowns, glancing at Daichi's face, before nodding in reluctance.

"So," Daichi side-grinned. "You know what I'm talking about, right?"

The middle-blocker nods again, squinting at his captain in trepidation.

"Then, it makes you wonder why this -" he points at Hinata, who has started to talk animatedly with between Asahi and Noya, "- _gifted_ skater is playing _volleyball_ of all sports, huh?"

Tsukishima's immediate thought was that Hinata fits perfectly in volleyball, but disregards it (because God forbid he thinks Hinata's a good player). Though, the captain was right - if he was so good at figure skating, then why the hell is he playing volleyball? Slowly, as his eyes followed Hinata's light laughter and bright eyes, something clicked in his head that made him sneer.

"Something bad happened to that damn idiot, huh."

Daichi sighed before patting on Tsukishima's shoulder.

"I’m betting something happened in Hasetsu. Did you see his reaction from earlier?"

Tsukishima could only click his tongue in annoyance.

 _‘It’s kinda hard not to notice the way he_ **_wasn’t_ ** _jumping off the walls like a damn child. Whatever happened isn’t any of my business anyway, but...'_ He turns away, heading towards the court to his usual position.

Throughout practice, he couldn't help but feel irritated, blocking more aggressively as he failed to keep his focus. He doesn’t care about Hinata, he tells himself, but the more he plays and the more he glances at the shorter boy, he feels even more pissed off.

_'...How fucking annoying.'_

...

 _‘I’m going to quit volleyball.’_ Tsukishima thought, glaring at Hinata from across his desk. The shorter middle-blocker bowed low again. Already bright and early this morning did Hinata headed staright to him to ask for his help.

“Please, Shittyshi- I mean, Tsukishima-san! Help me study so I can go with everyone!!!!”

“No, and you _really_ had the nerve to call me shitty, huh, you damn shrimp.”

“Please!!! I’ll do anything!!”

The blond perks at that, before grimacing. All he wanted to do today was study, listen to his music during lunch, and get over volleyball practice. But no because apparently, Daichi and Suga had urged him to tutor this little orange gremlin so he can join the practice camp. He made a small hissing noise as he remembers what his captain told him.

 _“Think about this, Tsukishima,” Daichi forcefully smiled, gripping onto the first-year’s shoulder. “Karasuno would rise to heights unseen if we figure out how to use_ **_all_ ** _our teammates to the best of their ability!”_

_“And this has something to do with me, how?”_

_“We’re a team! Teams help each other out no matter how sorry their test scores may be.” Daichi dropped his smile into a small smirk, “Besides, aren’t you the_ slightest _bit curious about why Hinata quit figure skating? You saw those videos, didn’t you?”_

_Yes, Tsukishima wanted to reply, but he tightened his lips. He’s also damn good at it, too, he thought again, but he would never say it out loud. Whatever happened isn’t his business. It’s whatever. He wasn’t interested at all._

“...sure, if you’ll answer one question.” Tsukishima cursed his damn curiosity, but it was quieted when he saw how bright Hinata smiled at him. This boy really is the culmination of the damn sun sometimes.

“I’ll tell you anything!! My favorite food, my favorite color…” Hinata tilts his head, his eyebrows scrunched up in search of what the other might ask of him, “My family… oh! Maybe Kageyama’s favorite food? It’s-”

“Why did you quit figure skating?”

“...”

“...?”

 “...I suddenly remembered I got something to do, Tsukishima. I’m… gonna go head back to class now.” Hinata bows slowly, his eyes no longer shining like earlier and he quickly leaves the classroom.

 _‘...what the fuck!?’_ The tall middle-blocker nearly stood from his seat in anger. _‘Don’t show me that kind of painful expression and not get me_ **_worried_ ** _about you, you damn shrimp!_

  _...wait.’_

* * *

Later during practice, Kiyoko introduced a girl who was interested in becoming a manager. Her name was Hitoka Yachi, and instantly Hinata buzzed with joy when she agreed to tutor him. Everyone just simply chalked it up to him being overly friendly with the girl, but Tsukishima couldn’t help but feel a bit irked at that. His captain gave him an odd look from across the court, but the middle-blocker only glared in return. Daichi sighed before dropping the topic and began to focus on practice.

To say that Hinata had been avoiding Tsukishima was an understatement. It was like the taller boy was the plague, and every time someone made a joke or a comment about it, Hinata would refuse immediately, saying he felt bad for bothering Tsukishima about his bad studying habits. Of course, Kageyama would make a snide little comment about how no one would tutor his dumb ass, but Hinata would fight back saying the other wasn’t having it any better.

Yachi ended up agreeing to tutor both of those idiots after school.

* * *

“Wait, why are you coming along, Bakageyama?” Hinata asks, trailing along the sidewalk. The other rolled his eyes.

“I live in this direction, dumbass. We always take the same road home,” He slouches, hands in his pocket as he picks up the pace a little. Hinata catches up easily, huffing at the tall setter.

“Well no shit, I know that! Can’t you like, leave later so I can walk home alone?” Hinata glares, but Kageyama’s only response was to walk faster.

In response to that response, Hinata jogged even faster to stay ahead of Kageyama, which sparked a full-on running competition to their houses. Not noticing how far they were running, they ended up lost. As the two started to bicker, they turned around at a corner and ran past Ushijima. The duo stopped abruptly as they stare at the height of the third-year. Hinata felt a shiver crawl across his body at the build of Shiratorizawa Academy’s Ace and Captain. Kageyama next to him simply glared.

“Oh. Excuse me.” Ushijima simply blinked before continuing to jog. The setter calls him out.

“You’re Ushijima from Shiratorizawa, right?” 

The tall ace pulls out his other headphone to look at Kageyama’s burning eyes. “And what of it?”

“I’m Karasuno’s setter, Kageyama Tobio. I want to spy on your guys’ volleyball practice!” Hinata looks over at Kageyama, shocked at the other’s outburst.

_‘What the hell is he saying!! You don’t go around asking to spy on other teams, you damn idiot!!’_

“Sure. I don’t care.”

 _‘WhaT THE FUCK, USHIJIMA.’_ Hinata stood there parazlyed until Ushijima starts jogging away, Kageyama following immediately. The redhead couldn’t help but follow as well, his own curiosity heightening at each step. Despite the weird attitude Ushijima gave, Hinata bounced with each step, buzzing with excitement to see what Shiratorizawa Academy looked like. Kageyama tells him he’s like a puppy out on a walk, which earned him a glare from the said-puppy.

Although Hinata had to stretch his legs a little longer to keep his quick pace (damn tall people and their longass legs, he cursed quietly), they eventually make it Shiratorizawa Academy, with Ushijima making way towards the gym. Hinata stood in amazement.

“S… so big! Is this place even a school!?” The boy literally vibrated at how each building seems to grow taller around him, “It’s like I’m in a whole new world!! Look at their main building- it’s like a hotel!!”

“Shut up dumbass, we’re here to see-” 

“AH!! LOOK YAMAYAMA, THEY HAVE HORSES!!” The redhead nearly squealed, tugging onto the other’s shirt.

“SHUT UP.” Kageyama yells, yanking his shirt back and gripping tight onto Hinata’s head, “Ushijima’s out of sight because of your yelling! So stop getting distracted, you dumbass.”

“Okay, okay! Let me go-” Hinata grins playfully, grabbing onto his head so Kageyama doesn’t rip off his hair. The setter relaxes his grip but continues to seeth. Pointing at the sign, he glares at Hinata to make sure the boy is listening to him.

“Right. The gym isn’t far from here, so let’s go.”

The other boy smiled brightly, causing the setter to lightly turn pink. "Un!" 

…

As soon as they arrived, Shiratorizawa’s ace stood at the entrance, eyes sharp on the two boys. “Kageyama from Kitagawa Daiichi, right?”

The mentioned first-year paused, a bit thrown off at the question, but nodded. “Ah, yeah. I applied here but-”

“No surprise. Shiratorizawa doesn’t need a setter that doesn’t look out for his ace.” Hinata bursts out laughing at Ushijima’s bluntness. Kageyama turns back to glare at the shorter boy, trying to ignore the little sting from the ace’s comment.

“Hah! He’s right- you’re so bad at that, Kageyama!!”  
  
“Shut it, you damn asshole!”

Hinata relents, smiling a bit at the other with a soft shine in his eyes. Kageyama hunches his shoulders, turning a bit pink at the middle-blocker’s smile. “But you’re getting better at it anyway! Besides, even Shiratorizawa isn’t that great since the Great King isn’t here.” 

Kageyama shifts his body away from Hinata’s eyes, “W… what the hell does Oikawa have to do with anything?” 

“Oikawa Tohru, huh. He would’ve been a great player here in Shiratorizawa, but he had to choose that Aoba Josei.” The ace stated, causing Hinata and Kageyama to tense. Slowly, Hinata steps forward, his eyes squinting at the tall third year.

“What do you mean? What’s wrong with Aoba Josei?” Ushijima simply sighed, making it look like the issue seem obvious.

“Shiratorizawa would greatly benefit if Oikawa would join, seeing as his ability is to bring out the best out of each player on the court. Choosing Aoba Josei is like planting seeds in an infertile soil - nothing will come out of it. He’s wasting his talents.”

Hinata immediately thinks back to his play with Aoba Josei. How strong the other team was, how envious their skills were, _and how much he hated the bitterness of losing to them._ The redhead steps closer to Ushijima, catching both boys’ attention.

“So… if Aoba Josei is infertile soil, does that make Karasuno… _concrete…_?”

Ushijima nearly flinches at the cold stare Hinata gave, swearing he saw the younger boy’s pupils sharpen. Even Kageyama had to glance away from the oddly severe gaze Hinata held. _‘He’s usually so meek when he confronts a strong player for the first time…’_

The Shiratorizawa ace hums in amusement, before noticing a volleyball coming his way from inside the gym. He jumps up to catch it -

\- and ends up watching Hinata jumping higher than him, catching the ball successfully. He stares at the short boy in shock, only getting knocked out of his stupor when Hinata presses the ball against his hand. Ushijima was taken back by the intense glow in Hinata’s eyes, radiating with the near intensity as the sunset behind him.

“I’m Hinata Shouyo. _From the concrete..._

...And I’m going to nationals.”

* * *

As both boys walked home that later evening, Kageyama couldn’t help but feel impressed by Hinata’s display. Definitely weirded him out, though, but he doesn’t disagree. Something about Ushijima’s bluntness pissed him off, especially that little side comment about Aoba Josei. He eyes Hinata’s back with a touch of concern, frowning at how long the other had been so quiet the entire time. 

“Hey…” Kageyama began, but Hinata turns to him, eyes glazed in a fiery heat of anger.

“We are **not** going to lose to that _Мудак_ , Kageyama-kun. We’re going to kick his ass and go to nationals.” 

Kageyama could only dumbly nod at the other’s proclaim, before continuing their unusual quiet walk. He paused to observe the other, eyes squinting as he can feel the heat rise to his cheeks.

 _‘Where the hell did that come from…? Wait-,’_ He frowns, trying to remember what the weird word Hinata said to him, _‘M...myuu-dak? What kind of word is that?_

 _...whatever.’_ He ignores how weird that word stirred something up in him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehehehehehehehehehhe 
> 
> Мудак (mudak) means ‘asshole’ :3c


	3. The Visitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :'D 
> 
> I'm doing pretty good for updating on wednesdays!!!! 
> 
> OH AND WHOEVER GUESSED WHAT I SAID IN RUSSIAN THE LAST CHAPTER
> 
> gets a cookie?? aHa;;;

Hinata was  _ slightly _ thankful that he was dumb enough to almost not get to go on the practice camp.  _ Almost _ . As he sat in his seat, agonizing over English words that made no sense to him, his leg tapped impatiently against the floor. He could feel the drag of each second in the classroom, with Kageyama beside him no different in the struggle.

 

Everyone else had already left - including Noya and Tanaka (Hinata was still alittle salty at that). Even with the help of Yachi, his score was off by two marks on the final. He was happy to finally get a score better than the usual single digit number with red x-marks, but the fact that he was two (two!!!) points away from the passing line made him want to shred his test in half.

 

He stared out the window in a vain attempt to try and waste his time - and in the distance, he can see the small stadium that held the ice rink. He bit his bottom lip, the sunset laying a warm blanket over the stadium, emitting such a tempting glow that made Hinata feel his heart clench.

 

It wasn't that he entirely stopped loving ice skating. He still remembers the love of feeling it - the glides, the spins, the jumps. He can feel the tips of his finger sting and his toes numb as his body begs for another loop, lutz, salchow, or axel. Hinata's eyes glaze at his own practices, his singles routine, where he uses his toe pick for sudden stops, a shift of his hips to spin, or the sudden drop to one knee as he glides. He still vividly remembers Yurio's  _ Agape _ program from a few years ago and Yuri's own  _ Eros _ .

 

He made a small wistful sigh as he leans into his hand, his eyes never drifting from the stadium.  _ Agape _ was Yurio's most perfected routine that Hinata memorized to a T - his attempts to practice it were incredibly difficult, with Yurio teaching him mercilessly, but the exhilaration and the adoration he was able to pour into his performance definitely made everyone who watches impressed. To love someone endlessly, devoted in innocent wonder, was something Hinata easily understood.  _ 'Selfless love' _ was what made him skate in the first place when he noticed how everyone around him possessed a deep understanding of the beauty and love for ice skating. 

 

The  _ Eros _ one was abit more complicated for Hinata - it possessed an emotion he has yet to understand himself, despite seeing many examples in life. He wonders what it would feel like to like someone so bad, you'd skate an entire program just to prove it. Hinata's face slightly flushed, his eyes drooping in a soft stare -  _ a whole program devoted to a single person _ . The redhead idly wonders what it would feel like to have Kageyama's eyes on him the entire time. He dismisses it when he knows nothing will come out of it, even though he could feel the way it made his heart leap.

 

Yeah, Hinata admitted to himself, that maybe he  _ probably _ did like Kageyama to a certain degree. Maybe it was because of how vehemently the other played, or how he always feels amazed by this volleyball genius skills, or how much Hinata began noticing his hands. The redhead glanced at his own - short and alittle pudgy, his fingertips rough with callouses from volleyball practices. Even his nails pale in comparison to Kageyama - smooth and trimmed as opposed to the middle-blocker's bitten and jagged fingernails.

 

He returns to look at his sheet of paper, making a small little huff in annoyance, failing to notice how the setter next to him had been looking at him this entire time. 

 

Kageyama didn't really do the whole 'dating' scene. All he needed in his life was volleyball and maybe a few meat buns. But ever since meeting Hinata, he feels a bit... interested. He isn't gay, or atleast that's what he thought, but he definitely caught himself watching Hinata from the distance. The way the other lights up when he receives his toss, how bright his smiles are when he talks about the stupidest things, the way he jumps so high his shirt lifts a little-  _ how utterly tempted Kageyama was when he wanted nothing more than to try and feel how chapped the redhead's lips were. _

 

Even now, Kageyama wasn't aware of how his own hand seemed to move on its own, inching over to Hinata's soft hair until the teacher announced that class was over. Startled, he jerked his hand back, his face tinting red as he quickly stacks his notes to avoid his teacher's stern gaze. He looks over at Hinata, who only grinned and stood up quickly. The setter followed suit. 

 

To say that both of them bolted out of the classroom would be an understatement. Outside, Saeko, Tanaka's older sister, wait with a lopsided grin at the infamous duo. She lifts her keychain at them.

 

"You two ready to go to Hasetsu?"

 

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

 

As they both were unceremoniously dumped into the car, Hinata's eyes trailed back to the ice rink. He starts to bite into his fingernails.

 

_ 'I... I wonder if Viktor-san and Yuri-nii are back from Russia…' _

* * *

 

Yurio tsked at his phone call, merely glaring next to Otabek who was trying to tempt him into eating the Pocky he bought. Despite being such a stoic man, Otabek enjoyed annoying Yurio when he got the chance. Casually, he munches on another piece of Pocky - with their practice finished at their home rink in Russia, they had some time to themselves before they were forced to leave by their coach.

 

"What do you mean, Shouyo  _ isn't _ figure skating anymore, huh?" Yurio grumbled.

 

Yuri on the other end shrugged, rubbing his arm to calm the chill through him. Nighttime at the ice rink can get rather cold here in Hasetsu, even with the summer heat. "I heard from Minako-sensei that Hina-chan stopped just before his last year in Junior high. Not sure why-"

 

" _ Hah?! _ That damn brat has a lot of nerve to quit figure skating after watching our programs and being all bright and sunny-"

 

"L-like I said, Yurio! I'm not sure why or what had happened," Yuri pulled his phone back, recoiling at the younger's yelling, "I should contact his coach. I'm sure Nana-san knows what happened. Though, it has been... what, 2 years since I came back here to Hasetsu-"

 

Yurio immediately jumps, "Hey, is Viktor there?!"

 

"Y... yes? Why, do you need to-"

 

"Then, I'm coming over. See you in a few hours."

 

_ Click! _

 

Yuri paused, "Huh... wait, huh?!" He blinked at his phone in wonder, before shaking his head. From inside the rink, Viktor raises a brow at the other man, interested from what he heard of the conversation. It was rather easy to hear Yurio's shouts from the phone - with just the two of them there, everything kinda echos.

 

"Oho? Are we going to be expecting someone soon?" Yuri only gave him a sigh, before pouting at his phone. Viktor couldn't help but poke his cheek.

 

"You know how Yurio is sometimes, Viktor. Besides, have you heard from Hina-chan in awhile?" 

 

The silver-haired man frowned, "Not for a while, I believe." He leans against the rink's wall, "We lost contact, what with me focusing on your programs, as well as mine. I think the last time we talked was when he got nervous at his first Junior pair tournament."

 

Yuri could only sigh, sitting down onto the bench behind him, "And that was... also 2 years ago."

 

Viktor smiles, "In my defense, I was sure that Sho-chan would win the Junior tournament, regardless if he went in for singles or pairs. His skills on the ice had already impressed many, including me and Yurio-kun."

 

"A-are you saying my skills aren't that good, Viktor?"

 

A chuckle, "Not at all! But I do have trouble picking which skillset I like most about you, Yuri-kun."

 

"Aha. My  _ skillsets _ . In what, might I ask?"

 

"Oh, y'know... on the ice. Off the ice.  _ In bed- _ "

 

Yuri's ears turned a little red, glancing away and covering his face, " _ OH-Kay _ , I think you might've frozen off some of your brain cells, Viktor! You should probably get off the ice and take a break!"

 

"Sure, Yuri-kun. I'm more than happy to have you  _ warm _ me up before I go another round on the ice."

 

"Viktor!" With an exasperated sigh, he stood up, ignoring his partner's amused chuckles, "In any case, I'm gonna give Nana-san a quick call." 

 

Viktor hummed, nodding as he stepped off the ice and onto the soft padded floor. He watches Yuri with a loving smile as the other fumbles with his phone, trying to recall Nana's number. He sighs, sitting on the bench and untying his shoelaces, shifting his feet out of the very tight skates. He had been practicing his program for the last two hours, so a break sounded like a good idea.

 

He snatches his water bottle from his duffle bag, testing the weight of it before opening the lid to drink. He gazes out at the ice rink, feeling a little lost in thought.

 

When he met Hinata Shouyo a few years ago, he could definitely see the potential in the boy's eyes. He practically cooed at him whenever he came onto the ice, doting on him so much it made Yuri and Yurio a little jealous. He couldn't help it, if you asked him, since Hinata had this certain charm that attracted people to him like a magnet. The way his red hair seems to make light reflect off of him that was reminiscent of a halo to the way his smile seemed to warm even the coldest of hearts - no one could really put up a fight against the little Red Prince.

 

His eyes darkened. Despite possessing such a strong and outgoing personality, he knows how easy it is for people like Hinata to get hurt. Viktor simply huffed into his bottle, knowing no doubt that the most likely reason why Hinata quit figure skating was that-

 

"Ah... Okay. Thanks, Nana-san. I'll let you know if I hear anything else from Hina-chan." Viktor looks up at his partner, his free hand immediately clasping around the others. He could feel the way his lover relaxed in his hold when Yuri sat next to him in a silent, somber way.

 

The man stayed quiet, enjoying the hum from the ice rink and the cold atmosphere. The warmth of his lover's hand in his own calmed his heart, but he could tell something was bothering Yuri. He leaned his head gently on the skater's shoulder.

 

It took a few minutes, but Yuri finally spoke, his voice slightly brittle, "Hinata joined the Junior pair skating with another girl and lost... most likely because of the accident."

 

Viktor perked at that but continued to remain silent.

 

"...Hinata lost his grip on the girl during his performance, and... And uh, she probably got into a little fight with him. That was what Nana-san told me at least..." Yuri blinked slowly as the information sunk in, glassy-eyed as his grip on Viktor's hand tightened. 

 

He knew how much Yuri cared about Hinata, probably twice as much as he does, so it was easy to assume that anything that hurt the boy would hurt him as well. 

 

Viktor sighs softly, nuzzling into Yuri's neck, "He'll be okay, Yuri."

 

His voice trembled, "But... two years, Viktor.  _ Two _ . Has he been able to talk to anyone about this...?"

 

"I know, love, but-"

 

" _ Viktor _ ... You know how Hinata is. If he doesn’t have someone to talk to, he avoids his feelings and everything and-" The other man squeezed Yuri's hands to comfort him, leaning more against his neck.

 

" _ And _ when we see him again, which I know we will, let's talk to him." 

 

Yuri leans back, his eyes gazing straight into Viktor's own. For a moment, there was a hum of energy filled with concern that lingered underneath their fingers before turning into affection when Yuri gave a teasing smile, raising an eyebrow at the other.

 

"And you're sure of this... How?"

 

Viktor only grinned, "I'm hurt you didn't think I'd try to contact Sho-chan again. Thanks to his teacher, I recently learned that our son is doing exceptionally well in volleyball, mind you."

 

Yuri laughed at that, all seriousness from before ebbing away, "Volleyball, huh? It... sorta suits him. And since when did Hina-chan became our son? I thought that was Yurio?"

 

"Don't see why we can't have both, love."  He hugs the other tightly, a little sigh of delight escaping him, "Our children grow up so fast, I'm not sure I'm ready to be an old man."

 

Yuri could only lightly smack his chest, "You're already old, you dork."

 

"At least I'm  _ your _ dork, love."

 

* * *

 

The moment Kageyama and Hinata burst through the door, all eyes fell onto them. Their clothes were disheveled, panting hard as they tried to shove the other boy from the gym door. The struggled for abit, before Hinata slips right underneath Kageyama. He slams face-down onto the floor before looking up at his team with a wide smile. Karasuno could only return the look with a vague smile of concern.

 

"Sorry we're late!" Hinata smiled, nearly giggling to himself. He stood up, making a sly smile at Kageyama, who only looked at him in a mix of worry and pure annoyance. "That's my win, by the way!"

 

"Whatever-"

 

"52 to 50, Bakaya- gyuk-!"

 

The tall setter glares, gripping tightly onto Hinata's head, "I said,  **_whatever_ ** , dumbass."

 

Daichi grins at them, slightly worried but glad nonetheless, "Glad you two could finally make it. Go change and join us for the last bit of practice, yeah?"

 

Immediately, Hinata and Kageyama perks at that, the shorter boy jumping up and giving out an excited yell. From across the court, the three other teams could only sweatdrop.

 

"So... they finally arrived, huh?" Coach Ukai said, side-glancing at Takeda who was grinning to himself over his phone. The man was texting incredibly fast and enthusiastic. The coach raises an eyebrow in concern, "Are you alright, Takeda-sensei?"

 

"Of course!" He gleamed, shifting his phone screen away, "I'm just making some exciting plans with someone I've admired for so long!"

 

Ukai stares, slightly stunned, but returns Takeda's smile, "Uh, sure. Congrats, I guess? Are they coming to visit us sometime?"

 

At that, Takeda scoots back, a little mischievous grin forming that Ukai couldn't help but think it was a little cute. Whoever Takeda is seeing must be one lucky person.

 

"It's a secret, Ukai-kun." With a quick swipe of his fingers, Takeda sends a final text message to Viktor.

 

**_Takeda:_ ** _ In case you’re wondering Viktor-san, Hinata had just made it to Hasetsu!! I hope we get to see you soon!!  _

 

_ I’m so excited!!!! Let me treat you and Yuri-san to a drink later on!  _ _ ＼(≧▽≦)／ _

 

**_Sent at 18:55_ **

 

**_Victor:_ ** _ I can’t wait to see him, too! How tall is he now? I wonder if he’s taller than Yurio. Aaaaaa-!!!! I can’t wait to see my son!!!! (╯✧▽✧)╯ _

 

* * *

“AH, Oba-san!! Let me have these!” Yurio shouts, pointing at the rouge leopard-print pants, tearing up slightly as he clutches it. The old lady nods, smiling knowingly at the young man.

 

“Of course, Yurio-kun! It’s been so long since you’ve returned to Hasetsu, I’ll even give you a discount!”

 

“You… you have wonderful fashion sense…” He hugs the pants closer, rubbing his face on it. She doesn’t seem to appear disturbed by this, despite the onlookers nearby the market glancing at him in concern. “This place is the best…!”

 

The old lady merely chuckles, scanning the barcode from Yurio’s grip. “What brings you back here, Yurio-kun? Here to have another Hot Springs on Ice again?”

 

The blonde shrugged, raising the pants up higher to admire the pattern. “Nah, I’m tryna’ find some punk who quit figure skating. Think you know where Hinata Shouyo is?”

 

She smiles before pointing at the direction of a gym far in the distance, past the famous Hasetsu castle and across the bridge. Yurio only smirked to himself, starting to love this little old town.

 

_ “Лучше начинай молиться, мышка..” (Better start praying, little mouse.) _


	4. The Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ehhehehhehahahaha
> 
>  
> 
> im sorry i was on vacation BUT!!! I GOT ANOTHER CHAPTER IN AHA

Donning the leopard-print pants with a matching jacket over his black shirt, Yurio walked closer to the gym. The building was small, but it had a rather impressive outside field of different courts for multiple sports. Yurio hummed in a small tune from his new program, and slowly walked forward. He didn't have to go far as he heard Hinata first rather than seeing him. He smirked to himself.

 

Exiting the men's locker room, Hinata bubbly talked with his teammates and his friends from Nekoma, buzzing about from his practice earlier. Everyone could only give a small, pleasant smile at the energetic crow.

 

"And then!? We served and the ball went ba-dam! across the net and even when we-" He paused, his eyes trailing up and meeting Yurio's eyes. He felt all his blood drain from his face as the few teammates watched with abit of confusion.

 

" **S h o u y o...** "

 

"Y-Yurio-senpai? What... What are you...?!" Hinata steps back quickly, the tall blond marching forward with a ferocious glare. His back hits Kageyama's chest, who was about to retort but his eyes were instead trained on Yurio.

 

"You want to explain to me why the _HELL_ you _QUIT-_ "

 

Hinata immediately panics, his hands shooting upwards to cover Yurio's mouth, "Y-Yurio! I can explain but first calm down!"

 

Coach Ukai approaches the steaming blond, looking concerned at how this tiny volleyball player was basically on his toes to keep the other's mouth shut. It was almost comical if the Karasuno's team wasn't already sending a dark glare toward Yurio.

 

"I'm sorry, are you-" Takeda immediately squeals next to him, interrupting the coach.

 

" _The_ Plisetsky Yuri?!!" Yurio steps back a little, his hands tightly clasping Hinata's own to remove it from his mouth.

 

"Yeah? What about it?" Hinata squinted at Yurio for that rude tone. Takeda doesn't mind, his eyes glinting in the late evening.

 

"God, I can't believe I'm meeting the Plisetsky YurI!! Oh my god- wait. Are you here with Viktor-san and Yuri-san?" Hinata frowns at his teacher, feeling more nervous. He was tempted to bite his nails again but his hands were in Yurio's tight grip. The blond blinked at the teacher, before shrugging.

 

"Sort... of? I'm guessing you're the Takeda guy we're supposed to meet for drinks later tonight, right?" Yurio stated, releasing his hold on Hinata's hand. The redhead mumbled, clutching his hands back with a soft pout. Kageyama next to him made a face at the blond, moving himself in front of Hinata that caused the little middle-blocker to clutch onto him, his cheeks turning a dark red. Tsukishima next to them merely huffed in annoyance as Daichi and Suga sighed.

 

"Noya, are you seeing this?" Tanaka whispered, leaning between Noya and Asahi. Noya nods, his eyes glowing at how Kageyama's hands twitched in irritation. He gripped onto Asahi in excitement, as the man next to him simply hummed. Him, as well as the third-years, could already tell what was going on.

 

Behind them, Kenma's eyes sharpen at the blond when he grabbed onto Hinata. Although he normally isn't good at confronting people, Hinata was a friend he worries most about. Oblivious, overly-friendly, and kind; traits that make him an easy target. His eyes drift to Kageyama, who held a more fierce look towards Yurio. He questions it, before it clicked into his head. He can already hear his childhood friend, Kuroo, chuckling next to him as he connected the over-protectiveness from Kageyama to Hinata's bright blush.

 

Takeda continue to smile brightly, ignoring the inquisitive look the teams gave him. "Yes! I'm looking forward to sharing a drink with you all!"

 

"Yeah, sounds great," Yurio then grabbed onto Hinata's hand, his frown more evident as he looked down at his junior. "In the meantime, me and this punk is gonna have a nice chat."

 

Immediately, Kageyama's hand flew to Yurio's shoulder, a harsh glare meeting the blonde's. Hinata nearly crumbled underneath their seething.

 

"What do you think you're doing?" Kageyama hissed. Yurio replied with an even harsher glare.

 

"I should be asking you that. Shouldn't you be busy with something else, brat?"

 

Hinata nearly gasped at the setter's sudden grip onto his shoulder, his face already turning into a darker hue. Yurio clicked his tongue at the other boy, his grip on Hinata's hand tighter as he tries to pull the shorter boy closer to him. Being squished between these two pushy people started to piss Hinata off, so in a mix of embarrassment and anger, he shoves both of them away. A look of shock crosses both Kageyama's and Yurio's face.

 

A forced sigh escapes him, "Can you guys stop and listen for once?"

 

Yurio crossed his arms, "Well, I sure want to since it's been two years since you skated! What happened? What's the big deal? I swear to God if someone hurt you-"

 

"Yurio-senpai. _Please_." Yurio drops his harsh tone, his eyes shifting away in embarrassment as his voice dropped to a whisper.

 

_"...I was looking forward to meeting you at the Grand Prix finals."_

 

Hinata looks at him in regret, his hair casting a shadow over his eyes. "Yurio-senpai... I don't figure skate anymore-"

 

"He can!" Takeda interrupts excitedly, causing all three boys to jump at his voice. His smile never left his face as he watches the interaction in amusement. _How nice it is to be young again,_ he thought.

 

"What do you mean, Takeda-sensei?" Coach Ukai asks, glancing at trio.

 

"That's kind of what I'm gonna talk about with Viktor-san and Yuri-san," His glasses reflects the late evening street lights, facing towards Hinata, "And find a way to help Hinata-kun skate again."

 

The bitterness crawled out of Hinata's mouth before he could control it, " _I told you I don't figure skate anymore."_

 

"Then why do you always look at the ice rink during practices?" Hinata froze.

 

Takeda's face remained passive, as both Kageyama and Yurio stepped back, a heavy air starting to seep between Hinata and Takeda. Hinata made eye contact with his teacher, his own trembling hands clutched beside him. The night sky seemed to reflect the shadow of bitterness, shame, and regret in Hinata's eyes, but Takeda stood firm before him. He knows this was something that conflicted with the younger's own stubbornness, but he knows that if Hinata never acknowledges this, or even discussed what had happen, then Hinata might struggle more in the future when it comes to volleyball, ice skating, and even his own character.

 

"Takeda-sensei," Coach Ukai called, breaking the staring contest between the two, "It's late… let's call it a night."

 

A moment passed after a brief glance at Ukai, before he nods, "Sure. Yurio-san, why don't we talk more over dinner with the others? Hinata-kun and everyone here are tired from volleyball practice. You're welcome to join us tomorrow, if you'd like to see Karasuno play!"

 

Yurio nods, abit wary of the exchange between his junior and Takeda, but he was impressed nonetheless. Despite being used to seeing a bright and sunny Shouyo, there were times when Hinata guarded and protected himself from others so offensively that it makes it difficult to talk to him. Even now, Yurio saw a glimpse of it - but it was mixed and contorted with others emotions. He sighs as he leans back a little, tilting his head up at the night sky. This punk really reminded him of himself some days.

 

"Shouyo," He called, causing the redhead to turn his dark stare to him. It unnerved him to see that. "I'll… see you tomorrow."

 

He turns to walk away, his hands shoved into his pockets as he slouches. Takeda follows, making a small wave at Ukai and the kids, his gentle smile never moving from his features.

 

Hinata made a small hiss when he watched Takeda and Yurio walk away, before he felt a pat on his shoulder. Suga raised a brow at him, giving a reassuring squeeze at his underclassman.

 

"You okay there, Hinata?"

 

The redhead looks down, kicking the dirt softly. After a moment, he mutters, "I'll be fine. Sorry about that, senpai."

 

"Who was that even?" Kageyama asks, his tone surprisingly soft but held a bite to it. He moves abit closer to Hinata, careful in case he met those burning eyes again. He won't admit it to himself, but the sudden shift of emotions in Hinata's frame made him nervous.

 

"That was Yurio-senpai. He was…," He makes a small sigh, crossing his arms, "Someone who taught me how to figure skate… that's all."

 

"That's all?" The setter echoed in disbelief. What he saw sure looked like anything but 'that's it'. He could feel the bits of anger bite at the corners of his heart. Kageyama was about to call Hinata out, but was interrupted by Daichi, who only gave him a stern look.

 

"Let's go eat. I'm sure everyone had an interesting show, but we still need to wake up early tomorrow." Daichi looks back at the rest of the team, "C'mon guys. We're here to practice volleyball, not start a soap opera."

 

Noya perks at that, content with changing the dreary mood, "Yah! If we wanted a soap opera, Tanaka should be the cheating spouse that gets caught!"

 

"The hell you mean _I'm_ the cheating spouse-!"

 

The group breaks apart, forced chuckles made as Noya and Tanaka joke about. Hinata turns away, his eyes never leaving the ground. He silently walks back to his dorm.

 

…

 

A few blocks away from the ramen bar, Yurio eyes the man suspiciously, "...you made Shouyo mad."

 

Takeda hums, his eyes following the few buzzing bugs of summer on the sidewalk, "Hinata-kun is mad because he's afraid."

 

Yurio merely huffed at that in amusement, and decided that he liked this teacher more than Yuri. He spots the silver gleam of hair in the bar, and lifts his leg to kick Viktor's side. It had no effect on the slightly drunk man.

 

"Yurio-kun! My, my, you've grown so much son!" He smiles. Yuri next to him sips the beer slowly, rolling his eyes at Yurio's harsh greeting.

 

"I'm not your son, you old man! Anyway," he grumbles, taking a seat opposite of Yuri. "I brought along Shouyo's teacher."

 

Takeda smiles brightly, knowingly at Viktor, who only raised an interested brow in return, before bowing.

 

"Thank you for taking the time to talk with me." He stands up straight as Yuri and Viktor stood up to repeat the exchange.

 

"It's nice to finally meet you, Takeda-sensei." Yuri says, "I'm thankful for you looking after Hina-chan for us."

 

"Not at all! He is doing great in volleyball practices, though his grades beg to differ." He jokes lightly, taking the seat next to Yurio. "Besides, after the Interhigh loss, I'm curious about how Hinata-kun will grow after these practices."

 

"But that's not the only reason why you've asked us to meet here, huh, sensei?" Viktor grins, leaning into his hand.

 

Takeda brightens, "He doesn't show it often, but Hinata-kun doesn't trust himself as much as he did back on the ice." He tilts his head, inquisitive but knowing, "He gives Kageyama-kun 100% of his trust though, so it helps when it comes to their games. But just like the Interhigh, there will be someone who will call them out on it and stop them from advancing. I worry about them."

 

Yuri sips at his beer slowly, before nodding, "Hina-chan does guard himself more than he should. When he's on the ice though…"

 

"...he's free." Viktor finishes, eyes dropping to the table with a soft frown, "He's free from his struggles and forgets… He's a good kid."

 

Yurio tsked beside Takeda, leaning heavily back into his chair, "Good kid, my ass. You should've seen the attitude he gave to the teacher earlier. You'd think Shouyo would rip him into two from his glare."

 

Yuri couldn't help but laugh lightly at that, bumping his shoulder at Viktor. "Ah, reminds me of someone a long time back, huh?" Yurio rolled his eyes at the two.

 

"Atleast I'm getting better at it." He mumbled, "Aren't we supposed to be talking about Shouyo? Why are we bringing up my own attitude?"

 

"Well, gee, I wonder why," Viktor teased, "It seems that Sho-chan picked up more than learning quads from you, Yurio-kun~!"

 

The blond sticks out his tongue in reply, causing the teacher to snicker beside him. "In any case, I have an idea on how to get Hinata-kun back on the ice." The trio perks at that.

 

"Oh? How so, sensei?" Viktor asks.

 

Takeda sends a brilliant smile to Yurio. The young figure skater felt his spine crawl.

 

"Plisetsky-san, how do you feel about having another competition?"

________________

The next morning, Hinata resumed his sunny disposition as if nothing had happened last night, if not the sarcastic tone he now bore when he talks to Yurio. Despite the figure skater showing up at his practice, Hinata continues joking and laughing about, showing off his black uniform to his old friend.

 

"Doesn't it look great, Yurio-senpai??" He began, eyes bright. Yurio only groaned in reply as Hinata flips to show off the back of his jersey, "It's the same number as the Little Giant!!"

 

"If you wanted to wear black, Shouyo, then you can wear what the bastard wore during his _Eros_ short. You can skate with it on after-"

 

" _Funny_ , I don't recall saying I wanted to skate," Hinata voice cut through, a soft but warning smile plastered on his face. He turns away and walks towards the net, effectively ending the conversation. He huffs a bit as he frowns at Kageyama, who only furrowed his brows at the shorter boy. "What?"

 

"...nothing." Kageyama grinds his teeth together, feeling the edges of irritation getting at him. He turns away and heads back to his normal position as a setter, ignoring his provoking thoughts.

 

 _'Shouyo this, Shouyo that… whatever. I don't care.'_ He grips the volleyball tightly, clenching his jaw as he narrows his eyes at the opposing team. The Nekomas stiffen at the glare.

 

As he raises the ball into the air, he sees the cusp of sunlight touch it. In an instant, he thinks of Hinata and immediately, with an unnecessary heavy amount of force, strikes the ball across the net. It makes a loud, resounding _smack_ against the floor beside Lev.

 

"W… what the hell…," Lev mutters softly, slightly shaking at the sound of the ball. He could've sworn he saw the floor bend underneath the pressure. Lev looks up and greets Hinata's gentle stare.

 

"В чем дело?" (What's the matter?) Hinata asks in Russian, causing the other boy to blink. He recognizes the language but he couldn't understand. Lev scratches the back of his head shyly.

 

"Oh! Uh, sorry… I don't actually speak Russian…"

 

 _'Hinata speaks Russian?!'_ His teammates thought, Karasuno also asking the same. Tsukishima next to him blinks in surprise, before bumping his shoulder to distract the small crow.

 

"Did you fry your brain learning that to impress him, shrimpy?"

 

"Shut up, Shittyshima!" Hinata bites back, looking up at him (because fuck his height, Hinata thinks bitterly). "Is it so surprising that I know Russian?"

 

Tanaka laughs loudly at that, clutching his stomach, "Dude, what else are you hiding? Can you do ballet, too?"

 

"W… what's wrong with learning ballet?!"

 

"No, wait… I was joking, Hinata…"

 

Diachi sighs behind them, raising his arm to slap them upside the head, but Asahi pulls his hand down.

_________________

When practiced ended, Yurio quickly grabbed onto Hinata to drag him outside. Hinata hisses at Yurio, brows furrowed and pouting. He tugs on his arm, but relents when the blonde tightens his grip. He eyes his teammates as he left, but by the time they made their way to the men's locker room, he was left alone with the blonde.

 

"Yurio-senpai, I said I'm not going to skate-"

 

"Shut **up**." Yurio states, letting go of Hinata finally. A moment of tense silence started to grow as the redhead shifts his weight.

 

"Yurio-"

 

Irritated, the older boy slammed his hand against the locker behind the shorter boy. Hinata jumps at the noise and frowns. A sharp tone flows through Yuri's voice. "You quit skating... because that bitch said something to you, huh?"

 

Hinata felt a wave of anger course through him, "Kiyo has nothing-"

 

" _Bullshit_ and you know it, Shouyo." He rests his arm, stepping closer to Hinata. The redhead held his breath, staring up at him, studying the crystal blue in his eyes before he remembered where they were. He shoves Yurio away, but the skater doesn't budge.

 

"And…?" Hinata whispers, Yurio's intimidation causing him to crawl closer to the wall. "It doesn't matter. I still won't skate."

 

"I won't accept that, Shouyo. After everything? After the tournaments, the hard work… you're going to throw it all away because you messed up _once?_ "

 

"I…" Hinata flinches when Yurio leans closer to Hinata's ear, causing his skin to prickle.

 

"You're gonna quit, because of _one_ mistake?"

 

The redhead shut his eyes tightly, feeling the edges of anger prickling his heart, before it was smoothed out by shame. His fingers trembled as one hand clutched onto Yurio's shirt, his head hanging down as the burning shame and regret tore into his heart. He feels his chest squeeze as his eyes start to water.

 

"But I play volleyball...! I'm a volleyball player!" His voice wavered. Yurio grinds his teeth, before shoving Hinata away. The push caught Hinata's breath before making eye contact, ignoring the few tears starting to flow.

 

"Then skate. One more time. Against me." Yurio returns his hands to his pocket, a cold look making way as he gazes back at Hinata's warm honey-brown. "If you win, you can do whatever the hell you want. I won't complain."

 

Hinata didn't trust his voice, but Yurio understood his question.

 

"But if you lose, you're quitting volleyball, too." All the air seem to leave the redhead, but Yurio didn't care for the answer. The older boy stands there for a moment, before pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket and throwing it to Hinata.

 

"...practice starts tomorrow after your volleyball thing." With a wave, Yurio leaves the locker room. He opens the door and meets the stinging grey of Kageyama. He huffs. "Get out of my way, brat."

 

The setter growls lowly at him, "If you hurt him, I swear…"

 

Yurio leans back, rolling his eyes. "For a boyfriend, you sure are protective."

 

"I'm not-"

 

"Whatever." Yurio pushes past Kageyama and leaves, ending the discussion. The raven-haired boy merely glares before he opens the door. He rushes over to Hinata, who had sank to the ground and was clutching the handkerchief.

 

"Hinata, are you okay…?" Kageyama asks, but his only reply was a soft sniffle and a sigh. Hinata tilted his head up, a mixture of relief and shame showing in his eyes. Kageyama felt his heart drop when he saw his tear-streaked cheeks.

 

The redhead blinks, using the handkerchief to wipe away the few tears that escaped him. "I'm fine, Kageyama-kun. I'm okay."

 

The other boy nearly snorts at that, "Sure, if seeing you sitting on the floor crying is considered okay."

 

"I'm not crying!" Hinata shouts, a pout forming. "But, I… I feel alittle better now."

 

Kageyama slightly calmed down, leaning back to let Hinata stand up. He waits a few seconds before standing up as well. He glances away, his body shifting awkwardly. "I heard. What happened with the… y'know. Ice skating. Thing."

 

 _'Flawless,'_ The setter thinks, but Hinata shakes his head, his shoulders shaking as he laughed, airy and light. _'...cute.'_

 

"Yeah, um… sorry about that, Kageyama-kun…"

 

He doesn't say a thing. In an attempt to comfort him, he slowly, hesitantly, gently places his hand on the small patch of skin behind Hinata's head. The other jumps at the feeling, but doesn't pull away. Instead, he looks up at the setter, his honey-glazed eyes full of confusion.

 

"Kageyama... kun...?"

 

His thumb graze the other's neck, softly so that Hinata can barely feel it. He had to hold in his shiver that crawled down his spine. The redhead blinks, his cheeks starting to flush in a glowing red. Kageyama continues the soft touch, and despite his straight face that held a stubborn frown, he was ecstatic. The heat radiating from Hinata's own body, the way he could almost feel the energy buzzing around him, makes his heart leap far and out-of-bounds. He glances at Hinata's lips, not caring if the shorter boy saw his interest. Something in the air was charged with an energy he can't break. Not yet. Not when he's so close to Hinata.

 

Time seemed to stand still as Hinata could only take what he was given- that light touch alone lit something deep inside his chest. And the little glance Kageyama made was so obvious that Hinata wanted nothing more than to lean up and mend his lips with the other, to curve his body against his. He felt another gentle touch behind his neck, making him release a small sound. The air between them got heavier when the redhead's eyes droop. Kageyama swallowed, his own cheeks starting to turn red at the growing darkness lying in Hinata's eyes.

 

 _'I… I don't want to quit volleyball...'_ Hinata thought, stepping closer to the tall setter till their chests touched. The redhead stared back with a lingering promise underneath his gaze. _'If I skate… will you watch me Kageyama-kun?'_ '

 

Kageyama blinked slowly. Hinata's breath got caught in his throat at the stare, the hand behind his neck slowly falling down onto his shoulders, and then onto his hands. His heart pulsed when he felt his own reach out to grasp it, gently at first, before tightening around Kageyama's.

 

"Okay." Kageyama stated, eyes glinting underneath the lowlights of the locker room.

 

"Show me and win this damn competition so we can play volleyball together."


	5. The Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdhTodxH7Gw
> 
> is the song I referenced here aha//
> 
> btw i got it from the book 'The Little French Bistro' a wonderful heart-wrenching story by Nina George :D

"Hinata, do you like this song?" His coach Nana said. She hums to the tune a little before looking down at the 14-years old boy. He beams up at her, a broad smile blooming.

 

"Yah! Isn't it pretty?" He teeters in his spot. Hinata had been wondering about what music he should use for his first program with Kiyo, and he was struggling with it. The child wanted something cool and sorta mature so he could look like an adult on the ice. He shifts through music on the radio, impatient and frowning at songs that held no meaning to him. He even bothered his parents, his friends, and even the neighborhood grandma for something. 

 

It wasn't until he stumbled through the library one day, peering through thick and heavy books with worn-through bindings. He sifts through books about Beethoven, Bach, and Tchaikovsky. Little Hinata couldn't wrap his head around the dancing notes on the pages until the librarian taps his shoulder. Old but with wise eyes, all she gave him was a little book. Yellowed from age and usage, thin and lightweight - Hinata never knew such an old music book existed, but he took it nonetheless. As he looked online to actually hear the song, his eyes followed along with the notes that curved and bend the very page itself. He could feel his heart sore at the crescendo, the fall of each minor, as if he was playing the instruments himself.

 

_This._

 

 _This_ will _definitely_ catch the audience's attention.

 

Nana glances at the CD player again, unsure with the type of music. Certainly, it held a more mature theme than what she'd like to give to Hinata, but his skills had improved greatly thanks to Yuri's and Minako's teachings. She hums in thought as she looks down at the boy, bright and shining like the late evening stars.

 

She leans down and tucks some of Hinata's soft red hair behind his ear, his eyes burning in the gentle brown. Nana sighs, "...are you sure?"

 

Hinata nods his head vigorously.

 

"Yah!"

 

"Well… let's see if Kiyo-chan likes this song, too!"

 

* * *

 

The song was _Libertango_ by Piazzolla. The pace of it was tantalizing and hearing it lit a fire underneath his stomach. He felt nervous when he introduced it to Kiyo, but when she shot it down, he got upset. He wanted to see it - the choreography, the music, the fire burning up the ice. He cursed in the few Russian words Yurio taught him, clutching the music score. 

 

 _Libertango_ was one of the first few songs Hinata wanted to try out for pair skating, but the pace of it was faster than his partner liked and she disapproved the melody. 

 

 _"It sounds kinda vulgar, don't you think?"_ Kiyo snips, arms crossed. He nodded reluctantly, but inside, he wanted to tell her that she was absolutely wrong. It held passion! Fire! Light!! As he hums the melody, a look of realization dawned on him.

 

He could… he could give it to Yuri and Viktor!

 

That way, he could see it all - the fire, the pace, the **freedom** . He buzzed with so much energy and so much pride from the thought that when he gave the sheet music to Yuri and Viktor, he could only speak out in a garbled mess of words. They understood him, more or less, and Viktor was absolutely in love with the idea of skating a duet with Yuri. _Especially_ one that was a little exciting such as this one.

 

As they listen to the music, Viktor pulled Yuri close to him, whispering something that caused the dark-haired man to turn scarlet. They move to the ice, Hinata looking on curiously. Viktor calls out to Hinata to reset the music, and after the first few notes played, Yuri pulls away dramatically. Their skates slice the ice mutely as the music danced around them, improvising their movements that overflowed with admiration, love, and passion. It felt like they immediately clicked together, the music and ice barely containing the feelings they had that emboldened the duo. If anything, it made it even more intense. As they skate, the fierce gazes they gave and returned cause Hinata's own heartbeat to quicken.

 

 _'She's wrong! It's not… vulgar. It's mature, which was what we needed,'_ He pouted, leaning against the rink's wall, his height finally reaching past the edge. It definitely wasn't kid-friendly, Hinata reluctantly admits. Judging by how Yuri and Viktor were gliding on the ice together, eyes intense -  each a twist, a _touch_ away - it was a clear cut from the ballads and romantic piano works. Even though they held each other at a distance, it felt personal and passionate. Hinata couldn't fight off the blush that burned his cheeks and ears. He knows it wasn't kid-friendly, but that was why he chose it. He was tired of being looked down on by competitors that think he can’t do anything on the ice, much less anything with a partner. He was already in middle school, just on the cusp of being a highschooler - which means adulthood!! He frowns a bit, but his focus returned to the couple on the ice, studying the routine as he bit his thumbnail.

 

Yuri made sharp turns on his skates, his arms raised as if he was being held by Viktor, his hips swings as he shifts his weight back. Viktor follows as if he was being led by Yuri, his hand catching the other's waist and pulling him flush against his. By the time they added a final spin to the routine, Hinata realized just how attractive men could really be...

 

...and how much he really wanted to skate that routine.

 

* * *

 

When volleyball practice started the following morning, everyone could tell Hinata was unnervingly calm yet controlled, which caused the rest of the team to focus more. Although Karasuno still lost to the opposing teams, the coaches could tell they were all teetering on something great. Another push was what they needed, and it meant dangerous news for the opposing teams. Even Ukai and Takeda could tell the kids needed one more thing to edge them all into victory.

 

As Ukai keeps an eye on Hinata, whom he was bothered by the most, his mind trails back to what Takeda and Yurio talked about. He didn't want to pry, but his curiosity got the best of him.

 

"Hey, Takeda-sensei," He called, "What... uh, what did you guys talk about?"

 

It took a second for Takeda to process because the question wasn't very specific and he was more focused on taking notes of the children's development, but then it clicked in his head that the coach was referring to his meeting with Viktor, Yuri, and Yurio.

 

"Ahh, well," He hums, eyes closing to remember that night. He remembers getting a little tipsy from the amount of alcohol he drank, but he _definitely_ remembers Yuri drinking more than him and becoming extremely flirtatious with Viktor. Yurio bailed the moment he knew Yuri was drunk and left the poor teacher to fend for himself. Yuri poked fun at the teacher's blushing, all the while fighting with Viktor when he wanted to take off his clothes.

 

_"But Viktoorr, it'sss hot!! It's hot and I'm hot lemme-!" He grabs onto the hem of his dark shirt, raising it to show his taut stomach. Takeda flushes as Viktor quickly shoves the shirt down, causing his partner to whine at him._

 

_"As much as I agree that you are incredibly hot, I'm not a fan of sharing you with everyone here at the bar-"_

 

_"Bu' it is hOT-"_

 

_The teacher excused himself quickly, ready to leave as Yuri continues to strip. Viktor waves at him goodbye but he was more concerned with the wandering hands that met his belt buckle._

 

Takeda could only smile at Ukai, trying to ignore the blush creeping up his neck, "...nothing much. We talked about getting Hinata back on ice skating."

 

Ukai gave him a deadpanned look, "...sure. Well, it's after practice today, right? Won't he be tired by then?"

 

"You know how much energy Hinata-kun has."

 

He pauses, but then nods his head in agreement, his eyes falling back on the redhead. As the volleyball is spiked and blocked between the teams, Ukai thinks idly to himself if he ever learned how to skate.

 

* * *

 

As Hinata led his teammates to the ice rink, he couldn't help but nibble on his nails again. His anxiety was getting to him the entire day. Even though the familiar appearance of Hasetsu's ice rink made his heart jump in excitement, he still stumbled at the thought of finally skating after two years.

 

_What happens when I skate and I look like an idiot?_

_Am I good enough?_

_What if my toe pick gets caught on a dip?_

_Do I deserve to be on the ice after so long?_

_Do I know how to skate?_

_I feel like I've forgotten all at once..._

_What happens if-_

 

A loud _smack!_ was made when Kageyama hits the back of Hinata's head. The redhead snaps his head up at the setter, prepared to throw hands and yell at him, but the glare the other held caused Hinata to shut his mouth.

 

"I don't know what the hell you're thinking, dumbass, but knock it off." He huffs, facing forward and walking ahead of Hinata. "And quit biting your nails, too. It's bad for you."

 

In the back, someone (Tsukishima) snorts at the comment but no one said anything as they watched Hinata nod, dropping his hands down to his side. After a few seconds, he walks up next to Kageyama, his shoulders a little lighter with a bounce to his step. The small crow lightly bumps against the setter, a motion that told Kageyama thanks.

 

Diachi side-glances at Suga next to him, who was wearing a fond smile at the two. He sighs.

 

"It's... kinda obvious, huh?" He asked, his tone dropping to a whisper. Suga shrugs, bumping his own shoulder against Daichi.

 

"That something happened between them?" He tilts his head at the captain, who only avoided his gaze with a tight smile. Daichi tries to ignore the way Suga looked amazing with the sunset's light. His ears turned pink when he felt their shoulders bump.

 

"Y-yeah, something... happened..." He trails off as Suga backed off, ending the conversation. Daichi fights with the way he wanted to lean closer to him. Behind them, Asahi couldn't help but shake his head.

 

* * *

 

The way the cold brushed against his face as he entered the rink, the longing and heartache came back to him in full force. Hinata's eyes watered as he choked on his feelings, his hands clutching his white shirt tightly beside him. He stumbles a few steps in, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looks up to meet Daichi's gentle smile.

 

"You should change first and put your skates on before entering the ice, Hinata." The boy numbly nods, walking slowly to the changing rooms, his eyes hardly leaving the rink.

 

As he left, Noya sneezes loudly. "Geez, this place is freakin' cold..."

 

"I wonder why." Tsukishima sarcastically said, Yamaguchi chuckling beside him. Noya shouts at him but the tall boy turns away and heads towards the benches.

 

"Ah, you're not gonna skate, Tsukki?" Yamaguchi asks, but the blond shakes his head.

 

"No."

 

"But the manager said we can since it'll be awhile before Hinata’s friends get here." Tsukishima shrugs.

 

"And? I'm not about to make a fool of myself on the ice next to the Prince."

 

 _"Prince?"_ Everyone echoes, but Daichi and Takeda could only nod. Ukai calls Takeda over quick for something, pointing at Yuuko, who held an amusing smile at the crowd of boys. He smiles and follows Ukai, leaving the kids to their own devices.

 

"I think... I'd like to sit out, too..." Diachi mutters, nodding to himself. Noya and Tanaka blink in surprise.

 

The libero leans over to Tanaka, whispering (although everyone could hear), "It's one thing if it's Tsukishima, but _Daichi-senpai?_ Is he for real?"

 

"What the hell, that's not manly at all. It's just ice skating."

 

Suga sighs behind them, causing the two boys to jump, " _You two..._ seriously, have you guys ever skated before?"

 

It took a second, but Noya and Tanaka shake their heads. Suga gave them a deadpanned look.

 

"Go and put your skates on. I know a few things about ice skating so, go grab some from Nishigori-san."

 

The duo makes an excited yell before racing out to the front desk. Daichi raised a brow at them, but then turned to Suga.

 

"I didn't know you ice skate, too." The silver-haired boy shrugged, a playful smile showing.

 

"Eh, well. I know how to go forwards..." He chuckles, scratching the back of his head. "By the way, you don't want to skate with us, Daichi?"

 

The captain remembers the videos of Hinata as a child, and nearly winced at the mention of skating the same rink as him. He may be confident on the court, but on the ice, he was no better than a toddler. "Ah... you'll see why in a second, Suga."

 

Suga raised a brow at that but turned to the sound of two excited boys running next to him, holding out their skates like as if they caught two frogs. He sighs and waves at them to come sit at the bench.

 

"You two have to tighten the laces."

 

Noya frowns, "But it's too tight! My feet are gonna fall off, Suga-senpai!"

 

"Great! At least it'll be attached to your feet."

 

"Suga-senpai!" 

 

Daichi chuckles at the scene, amused as he took a seat next to Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. He questions Yamaguchi, but the boy didn't want to skate.

 

"Well, if Tsukki doesn't want to skate, I don't want to either." The tall middle-blocker sighs.

 

"You should skate if you want to, Yamaguchi. Isn't trying new things all about 'having pride' or whatever?"

 

The pinch server flushes, lightly hitting Tsukishima. The only reply was a condescending smirk that made Daichi think something had happened between them. He leans back on the bench, his eyes falling on the ice beyond the wall.

 

 _'Must be nice...'_ The captain's eyes follow back to Suga, who was wrestling with one of the skates on Tanaka. The poor boy struggles as the second-year shifts in his seat, barely holding in his giggles. _'I wonder what'll happen between us if...'_

 

His blinked, shaking his head before making a deep sigh. It was pretty obvious he had it bad for Suga, though as being the captain, he normally kept himself in check. He controlled himself pretty well, and besides Asahi and Tsukishima (who's a perceptive little shit), no one is aware of his feelings. Although, there were days his eyes did follow back to Suga; the way his silver hair played with the light or the beauty mark underneath his eye - Gods, he was a fool for a guy with a beauty mark. It didn't help that Suga was already such a kind and gentle person that melted his damn heart. His good looks just shoot an arrow straight to his heart.

 

Daichi makes a small non-committed sound when Tanaka and Noya exclaimed they were gonna start skating. Although Suga had yet to put his own on, the duo awkwardly rushed to the opening, beaming at each other and playfully shoving. Kageyama, who was standing there with his own skates, looked at Suga with a bit of apprehension. The third-year chuckles at the meek attitude, but tells Kageyama to sit on the bench. Suga couldn't help but think he's been mothering these boys a bit much.

 

As Noya got on the ice first, he clutched the wall before flailing, legs shaking a bit from the slick floor. Tanaka laughs out at the motion, hands holding his stomach as Noya hisses at him, preparing to drag the other boy into the icy depths of hell. They were both unaware of Asahi, who stood right behind Tanaka's laughing form.

 

The tall ace smiles when Tanaka looked back up at him, a bit of fear crawling on his back.

 

"It's your turn, Tanaka-san." Was all he said as he lightly pushed the other spiker onto the ice.

 

Tanaka let out a disgraceful yelp as he stumbles a bit, his balance lost before he suddenly dips, his hands out before him. Noya fell down next to the wall, practically howling as he mocks the other second-year.

 

"T-TANAKA, YOU LOOK LIKE YOU'RE TAKING A DUMP-!"

 

"SHUT UP, NOYAA-!"

 

As they made fun of each other's sorry attempts, Kageyama finally stood from his place, skates on and shoelaces tight. He felt awkward as he stood on the blades, thinking back to his thoughts of how easy ice skating looked. He doesn't even want to get on the ice. 

 

Suga pats his back sympathetically, already finished putting on his own skates. "I know, but if you stick to the wall, you'll be fine."

 

"Suga-senpai-"

 

The sound of skates hitting the ice caught everyone's attention, a blur of red and black flies past them before they realized it was Hinata. He was wearing a simple yet large white crop top, with high-waisted black pants and black gloves. His skates were also black, as per tradition for male skaters, but the laces were white. Either way, Kageyama couldn't have felt more amazed and intimidated by the little crow as he flew across the ice, his eyes brighter than a star and a flurry of emotions seeping through his movements.

 

Hinata notices Noya and Tanaka on the ice, so he skates over slowly, hands behind him as he straightened his back. He smiles, tilting his head in question, "Senpai… are you okay there…?"

 

Tanaka, who was the closest and is still in a dip position, blinks in awe before nodding, "Uh, yeah, we're good, Hinata."

 

The libero echoes the same, "Yeah, we good…"

 

Hinata smiles even brighter, "As long as you guys have fun! I'm gonna do some rounds, okay?"

 

"S… sure…"

 

With that, Hinata pushes his feet forward, his weight shifts as he leans back to skate. He twists, and immediately raises his arms to keep balance. From there, Hinata dashes from one side of the rink to the other, the sound of ice being cut through by his blades filling the silent atmosphere.

 

Tanaka stumbles as he stands up from his position, shuffling closer to the wall as his eyes trailed Hinata's form. Despite being older than Hinata, he felt a little salty and amazed. It was as if he was back in first-year, looking up at his upperclassmen in amazement at their skill. Tanaka had to remind himself that Hinata had been skating far longer than anyone, and honestly? It shows.

 

Noya smacks Tanaka's arm, catching his attention. He was about to yell, but instead, Noya shushes him and made a gesture to Kageyama, who stood at the opening of the rink. The spiker had to shuffle awkwardly to face the other direction, but the moment he saw what Noya was nodding at, he nearly gasped. He swears to Noya that this was far more entertaining than any damn drama his sister watches.

 

Kageyama was absolutely enraptured by Hinata. He'd call himself a fool if he denied the way his eyes shine at the sight of Hinata or the way his chest burst in a mess of admiration - the redhead looked more attractive than he did on court somehow, and the times when Hinata picks up speed, the breeze flips up ever-so-slightly that the pale skin underneath caused his stomach to flip. He felt his own heart shudder when Hinata did a single jump, and when the boy started crisscrossing forward, he never realized the tempting curve of his back, his hips, his legs... He couldn't hide the fact that the way the redhead moved seemed like he never played volleyball in the first place. A sudden burst of anxiety interrupted his thoughts.

 

_‘What if Hinata decides to go back to ice skating… for good…?’_

 

He shakes his head, a stubborn frown showing as he places one foot on the ice. 

 

 _'There's no way that dumbass will quit volleyball… right?'_ He huffs, his eyes momentarily falling towards the ground, his blue skates making soft _click-click_ noises. The setter grunts as he tries to shift in place, but ends up making a weird shuffle. He starts to sweat as he feels unstable.

 

Suga behind him gently nudges him, nearly scaring the first-year, "Square your shoulders, and keeps your knees lose like in volleyball."

 

Kageyama takes a deep breath and straightens up, the little gesture causing him to move forward a bit. Tanaka beside him snickers.

 

"It's not so easy, huh?"

 

"Like you're one to talk, dump-master." Noya comments, before ducking to avoid Tanaka's smack.

 

"Shut up, you look like a cat clinging to the wall like that!"

 

"At least it's better than dumping on the ice!"

 

Suga chuckles a bit at the duo's arguing, finally stepping onto the ice. He felt his legs shake a little at the unusual feeling, but he took a deep breath to stabilize himself. He looks up and pushes one foot back, propelling him forward. Kageyama behind him mimics the motion, but he felt incredibly uneasy, his knees feeling like they were going to pop off.

 

The third-year opens his arms, "It's all about balance here, Kageyama-kun. Let's just try some marches."

 

At that, he lifts one foot up, marching forward. Kageyama follows obediently until he looked up to see Hinata’s curious stare. He glares, his ears turning bright red as he suddenly felt very insecure and inferior. Suga skated a little away from them, closing in on Noya and Tanaka with his hand over his lips. He shushed them, turning around to watch.

 

“Kageyama-kun, you don’t know how to skate…” Hinata stated, looking almost amazed at how the setter’s blush started to cover his cheeks.

 

“So?! I never learned!” Kageyama turns away, straightening his back that caused him to shift backward. Out of instinct, he leans forward, his hand reaching out that caught Hinata’s shoulders. 

 

“...Kageyama-kun.”

 

He looks up, not realizing his panic caused him to look down, and made direct eye contact with Hinata’s own. The setter curses lightly, catching the warm brown eyes that peered up at him in curiosity. He frowns at their closeness, feeling suddenly aware of how big the ice rink is and how it felt much warmer next to Hinata.

 

“...what.” He hisses, irritation slipping as he removes his hands from Hinata’s shoulders. Just as he did, the redhead grabbed onto them, slipping his fingers through. Kageyama shudders - from the cold or from the sudden warmth, he couldn’t decide.

 

The only sound that escaped Hinata was a breathy chuckle, as he skates backwards, dragging Kageyama with him. The setter panics, wide-eyed at the shorter boy as his knees locked up, body paralyzed as he slowly skates forward, feet never leaving the floor. Hinata lightly laughs at that, a sound that echoes around him.

 

“You’re too nervous, Bakayama!” 

 

Out of irritation, he tightens his fingers around Hinata’s, causing the boy to jump at that, “Shut up, dumbass! Just doN’T let go-”

 

“I won’t, I won’t!! Besides… it’s kinda nice, y’know?” Hinata glances away, his smile slipping into a shy one, “You’re so… cool on the court, so seeing you like this… it’s, um... nice…”

 

That… completely caught Kageyama off-guard. His face flushed into a deep red, immediately looking down at the ice as he felt his grip on Hinata tighten. Although his back was facing his teammates, he could feel how all their eyes were boring into his back, causing him to sweat a little as he felt his heart burst underneath his chest. Kageyama was trying very hard to fight the smile that threatened to show on his face.

 

“K-Kageyama-kun, you’re making a really weird face!”

 

“You wERE THE ONE THAT SAID SOMETHING WEIRD!”

 

“I WAS ONLY BEING HONEST, BAKAYAMA! STUPID!”

 

“DUMBASS! YOU CAN’T SAY STUFF LIKE THAT OUT OF THE BLUE!”

 

A deep sigh made the odd duo glance to the side, a flash of blond hair catching their attention first before Yurio appeared. He dons a long-sleeved black shirt, with off-black pants similar to Hinata, with his hair tied back in a high pony-tail. Yurio glares at them, unamused and pissed.

 

“Either get a room or start ice skating. You two lovebirds are just going to get in the way of practice if this continues.”

 

“We’re not-!!”/“Yurio-senpai-!!”

 

He crosses his arms and huffs as the two blushed darkly, looking at each other and then down at their connecting hands. They quickly let go of the other.

 

Yurio only rolled his eyes, “Идиоты…” _(Idiots…)_


	6. The Selfless Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry ;a;;;;;

The rental skates were tight and uncomfortable, he decided. Maybe that was why he was in a foul mood. The way how one part of the shoelace is longer than the other side, how tight the bridge is wrapped, how numb his toes felt... he did not enjoy the feeling very much.

But he did like the cold - being a winter baby does have its perks. He liked how he can feel the chill of the ice underneath him, he liked he can shuffle forward and if he did so fast enough, he can feel a slight breeze. Kageyama glances over to Hinata and Yurio, clenching his jaw when he saw how casually Yurio messed with the blocker's fluffy hair.

He didn't want to admit it, but the bitterness he was tasting was jealousy. He might not be the smartest person in school, but he's not so dumb as to ignore what the stinging feelings that have been bothering him this entire time was. Kageyama's eyes drift back down to his skates, wishing he had a better one - preferably black ones that matched Hinata's. A solid, nighttime black with white shoelaces. He lifts his feet to inch forward.

"You're improving a lot, Kageyama-kun," Suga commented, smiling at the tall first-year. "If you practiced more, you might skate better than me."

_ 'But never more than Yurio-san,' _ he thought but kept silent as he shuffles more in his spot. The way he shifts was agonizing, so he chances a glance at Hinata, who swiveled backward with grace. The sound of ice being sliced through was beautiful to his ears. Kageyama's eyes never leave, tempted to mimic the same motion, but the moment Yurio came into his view, his eyes fall back to the ice again.

Suga watches with a lot of interest - it was plain as day as to what the main cause of frustration was for Kageyama. Not to say he had any advice to give - he was struggling in his pursuit of love as well. Though, he still wanted to comment or say something to encourage the boy.

He twists in place to turn around and look over to Noya and Tanaka, who learned to skate forward by pushing themselves along the wall. The rink was littered with small comments and noises from the duo mainly, but the teasing and mocking from Tsukishima, and a few little jokes from Asahi, often cause the second-years to riot. Suga could only shake his head at the group before glancing over to Yurio and Hinata.

The third-year can only guess as to what they were discussing, probably making comments on the other's skating since Yurio can be heard from across the rink with his yells. Hinata only brushes it off, and it comes off as no surprise since they knew each other for a long time. It might've only been two years since Hinata skated, but his talent on the ice shown through.

Yurio had told him to try practicing a few toe jumps - simple loops were good to get into instead of jumping into edge jumps. Hinata stumbled on the first toe loop but landed perfectly on the lutz and flip. After a few more by gaining more speed, Hinata then moved onto the edge jumps - the Salchow, Loop, and Axel. He stumbled a lot more on those, but that didn't seem to deter the bright kid. If anything, it seemed to push Hinata more. Suga wonders idly where all that energy came from, especially after a day of intense volleyball practice.

A knock on the rink's wall causes the group to turn their attention to a tall, Russian man, who grinned at the look that crossed Hinata's face.

"V-Victor-nii!?"

"Look at you! Aah, my little boy got taller by an inch!"

Hinata pauses, looking at a little lost as he tried to scramble for words. "What are you- what-?"

_ 'Duh- If Yurio-senpai is here, Viktor-nii and Yuri-nii have to be here, too!' _ He thought. A little voice inside his head told him he was a bit of a dumbass for not connecting that earlier. Yurio next to him grumbled.

"Get out or practice, you damn old man!"

Victor whines, but the grin on his face never leaves, "Aw, I just want to visit my little подсолнух! (sunflower!) Come on, it's been two years! Can I at least get a little hug?"

Hinata snickers at him, before slowly skating over. He smiles at the taller man, and steps off the ice to offer a hug, "...are you here to practice, too?"

The silver-haired man hugs the boy tightly, chuckling at their height differences, "Perhaps not tonight, since I want to watch your skating."

Hinata sweats a little, looking down, "I… I haven't improved much… since, ya know…"

"I am aware, ja."

"And… you're not… mad?" Hinata dares to look up, but only saw that the grin Victor wore was still there. He sweats a bit more, trembling as he realized what that look meant.

"Actually." He tilts his head, almost a little menacingly,

"I. Am.  **_Furious."_ **

Hinata doesn't utter a word, feeling all color drain from him as he turns around. He awkwardly rushes back onto the ice but was stopped instantly when he felt a hand pull on his shirt's collar.

"Aww, where are you going, my little подсолнух? I know practice makes perfect, but you can spare five minutes to explain to me why a little girl caused you to stop skating…"

"I- Viktor-nii- I can explain!"

"Great! I've been wanting to hear your side of the story since I heard the news from your old coach. Since you had spent, what, nearly  _ five _ years figure skating?"

"I... uh..."

Victor's eyes glanced over to Hinata's teammates, smiling to greet them, "Oh, hello! I assume you are all members of Sho-chan's volleyball team?"

Daichi stands up from the benches, intending to formally bow, "Yes, sir. My name is Sawamura Daichi, and I'm the captain of Karasuno."

The dark glint in Victor's eyes was brief, but Daichi caught it and felt a dangerous feeling crawl up his spine.  _ 'If... If this is the same Viktor-san I'm thinking of… Sheesh, Hinata, you sure have some interesting people in your life…' _

"I want to first thank you all for taking good care of my Sho-chan," Viktor pats Hinata's fluffy hair, smiling at how the captain tensed up. "I'm sure you are all aware of Sho-chan's abilities? Tell me, what does he lack in?"

Daichi blinks at the strange man before glancing at his teammates, aware that Viktor had captured their attention. Especially Kageyama's, who had crossed his arms at the question. The captain thinks for abit before answering.

"Hinata definitely has amazing stamina and speed, and his jumps are good." Hinata flushes, very aware of how intense Viktor and Yurio were listening. "But I guess Hinata needs to improve his game planning and teamwork? Well, at the moment we're all struggling with game planning and teamwork, I guess."

Viktor hums, content with the answer, "You are correct that teamwork is important, but what will you focus on the most?"

Daichi sweats, "Focus on the most…? Like in, leadership roles? Support?"

"Hm… that sounds kind of right." Viktor teases, mysteriously adding on, "You really are a good captain, but are you the only pillar for this team here…?"

"You should stop teasing them, Viktor." A soft voice calls out. Viktor's smile drops its playfulness and turns into a gentle grin, turning back to look at Yuri.

"Dear, I am doing nothing of the sort! I am just… ah,  _ curious _ about their developments. I am a good father who wants to support his son and his team after all!"

"Yuri-nii!" Hinata yells, nearly hopping over to the taller man and hugging him tightly.

The captain frowns, caught off guard at the questions Viktor said and he thought seriously for a moment. When his team was at their wits end after the Interhigh lost, the sense of loss cut through the team's motivation like a sharp blade. Everyone is frustrated and if Diachi can admit it honestly, self-conscious of their shortcomings.

_ 'But that's why we're here. To practice and test what we need to change- we  _ **_have_ ** _ to change.' _ Daichi looks back at his teammates with a pensive expression.  _ 'Viktor-san looked at us and immediately saw something I didn't… what did I miss?' _

From behind him, Viktor smiled, patting Hinata's head, "Well, if that's all, I'll bother Sho-chan for a bit."

Yurio immediately grabs onto Hinata's other arm, "Huh? Where the fuck do you think you're taking him? I got 2 years' worth of warm-ups for this asshole to complete!"

"Oh, Yurio, I'm sure you and your younger brother can bond some other time, but now it's time for me to have a  **talk** with my son."

Yurio shivers at the tone but continues to hiss. "Kiss my ass, you damn old man!"

" **Yurio.** "

Behind them, Yuri sighs, already use to the bickering between the two and instead pulled the panicking Hinata from them.

"How about this?" Yuri says, "Hinata-kun here can do one of your old routines as practice and then we'll head out for dinner to catch up?

Viktor immediately nods, smiling wide, "You come up with the best ideas, love."

Yurio grumbles off to the side, staring at Hinata, "What programs  _ can _ you even do…?"

Before Hinata could answer, Viktor interrupts earnestly, "Agape! Agape! I know you've been obsessed with Yurio's Agape since the first Hotsprings on Ice tournament!"

Yuri nods, turning over to the teammates, "I'm sure you guys won't mind if we take over the rink for a short program? It'll only take a few minutes."

Daichi chuckles, already feeling a bit excited to see Hinata skate, "Not at all. We'd love to see how Hinata who skates is different from the Hinata that plays volleyball."

The redhead blushes darkly, "I… I don't know if I can…"

"It's alright. I already brought Yurio's Agape costume and everything!"

"What-?!" Hinata looks up at Viktor's grin, surprised. The man winks.

"Consider this as a little punishment, Sho-chan. Now go change, it's in the locker room."

Hinata stares in disbelief between Viktor and Yuri, then back to his captain, who all just returned his stare with a smile.

Kageyama, meanwhile, was annoyed at how casual everyone was getting with Hinata, but perked at the thought of seeing Hinata skate a routine. He bites his lower lip in eagerness, hoping to see Hinata perform.

"What are you so scared of, dumbass?" He asks, crossing his arms to look as uninterested as possible. It wouldn't do if he looked excited (though his teammates saw how obvious the attempt was).

"D… do you really want me to skate Agape?" Hinata squints, making Kageyama wave his hand with a shrug as he turns around to skate towards the opening. Suga, Noya, and Tanaka already getting out and removing their skates.

"Yeah, it's not a problem if it's you, right?"

"Well, yeah but-"

"Then skate." He huffs, with a tone of annoyance, "I'll be watching you."

Rolling his eyes, Kageyama failed to notice what everyone saw; those words meant everything to Hinata and the way his eyes widened at hearing those words made the boy transcend. Beside him, Viktor gave a mischievous grin at Yuri and Yurio, both of which gave him a suspicious look.

With a sudden turn, Hinata walks towards the locker room, his excitement starting to making his hands tremble.

_ "Then I better make sure you never look away." _

* * *

The rink was dark save for the lights lining the rink's border. Normally, they were turned off except for special events, but the Nishigori family were on cloud nine when they heard Hinata was going to skate the Agape program. The excitement bubbling from the owners made the Karasuno team buzz with energy, too.

Noya nudges Kageyama, a sly smile on his face, "Aye Kageyama, don't you dare look away from Hinata, a'ight?"

Kageyama raises a brow, not getting the joke. "Of course...?"

Tanaka, sitting on the other side of Kageyama, nudged him as well, "That's right. Since it'd be really hard to look away from someone like  _ Hinata _ , huh?"

"I… I don't know-"

"Oh!" Noya dramatically interrupts, "Our sweet first year will have  _ everyone's _ attention on him. I wouldn't be surprised if he stole someone's  _ heart _ as well."

"Noya, that's enough." Suga chastised, who was sitting behind the trio. The second-year only laughed.

"I was just teasing him, Suga-senpai!"

"Haha, it's not like Kageyama- wait, hey, Kageyama, dude your face looks scary…"

Daichi and Suga could only shake their heads, easily imagining how Kageyama was clenching his jaw in irritation and how dark his glare was. Tanaka and Noya respectfully backed off, grinning abit to themselves.

* * *

It didn't take long before Hinata to arrive, wearing the iconic Agape outfit. A silent air of awe crossed their area as the skaters nodded in content.

Although the sharp contrast of Hinata's orange hair would go against a white, glimmering outfit like Agape, Viktor went through such lengths to add golden edgings to make it less stark. He wasn't sure if it'll do much, but now that he was seeing the result, he was very happy. His son really was a precious little sunflower. Though, with a chuckle and a side glance to Kageyama, his son might be more of an angel than a sunflower.

Yuri, on the other hand, was slightly worried about how long the leggings part would be. When he questioned why Viktor had had the outfit redesigned back at home, Viktor wouldn't say anything to him. Putting a finger to his lips and shushing any words that would escape (not like he can ask anymore after that since Viktor had a good way of changing the subject). In any case, the new Agape costume looked really good on Hinata, and if Yuri had to honest, he was a little jealous of how well the color combination of the sparkling white went with the golden trimmings. Now that he thought about it, Yuri wonders if the Eros costume was redesigned as well.

Yurio had a huge mixture of emotions going on inside. One for sure was anger because he was pissed that this old man messed with the costume (his costume of all things although it was originally Viktor's). Another one was the absolute melting of his heart at how the outfit looked on Hinata. Yurio won't ever admit it out loud, but he honestly wanted to see Hinata do a complete routine on Agape and Eros. Although, when he was learning it himself, it was incredibly difficult because it called for a lot of flexibility and agility. Not to mention it got hot and stuffy in a costume like that. A spike of worry went through his heart as Yurio hopes the redhead won't die from heatstroke on the ice. He scoffs - wouldn't that be an ironic way of dying.

To say that Kageyama didn't feel anything when he saw Hinata was a blatant lie. He nervously chuckles underneath his breath as he realized how bad his situation was, and how bad it was going to get once Hinata will skate. The setter knew he was going in hard for the middle-blocker, but seeing this side of him was causing his heart to implode. He wasn't sure how much more he can take. Before, it was easier to deal with when they were playing volleyball together - his focus was on the ball and not on anything else (he lies - he is acutely aware of Hinata's presence but is distracted by the ball). Now that there wasn't a barrier for him to focus on, his eyes would never leave Hinata for even a second.

_ 'Gods, I'm so done for...' _ He swallows, hoping with his hands tightly clasped together that he won't have to  _ walk _ on the ice and steal Hinata away from everyone's eyes.

Hinata skates over to the side, passing a wave to the ice skaters and Karasuno, and then bowing at the Nishigori family. The triplets, Lutz, Loop, and Axel, already preparing to video record, which earned a chuckle from the boy and a dirty look from their mom. He sends a passing glance to Kageyama, a dark glint that reminded the setter of their promise, and then he skated to the middle of the rink. His eyes cast down as he took in steady breaths.

The lights dropped onto Hinata, and underneath the stormy gray eyes, the fire inside his chest lit up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please send a yeehaw to support me ;w;


	7. The Firsts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehhHHaAHAHAHAaha
> 
>  
> 
> GODS I am SO TIRED.
> 
> I'll still write tho

The first note that hit his ears made his soul soar with nostalgia. A time before the competitions, the crowds, and Kiyo. Hinata sighs into the melody, nearly melting in the familiar comfort of the music he's heard countless times. He raises his arm, then curls it under his chin before turning down and shifting away. His back curves as his arms fly back, reminiscent of black wings.

Underneath his breath, he whispers the lyrics and hums along to the music, the emotions that had been boiling in his chest teetering, like a pot just on the cusp of boiling over.

As he angles his blades, he arches his back, his eyes side-glancing to the stands, hoping to capture the storm he saw before. He hoped to see the reaction Kageyama will have, but the moment the music crept onto its first crescendo, Hinata forgets. His eyes glaze over as the meaning of the song enveloped his heart, completely forgetting his place in the world.

He forgets about Kiyo, his first partner and rival in ice skating.

He forgets about the competitions and the uneasiness and anxiety that bubbled inside.

He forgets Kageyama, the boy with stormy eyes and rough hands - a King of a distant land.

He forgets, and as the music pierces through his thoughts, he feels the boiled water toppling over the pot. He brutally slams his toe pick against the ice, leaping into the air as he twists sharply to complete the first jump: a triple axel. He lands it flawlessly, a bubbling mess of joy bursting from his soul as his uncontained emotions drown him in with the music. He forgets where he was - the borders of the rink disappearing, the soft gasp from the crowd drowning - all replaced by a crystal clear ring smoothing away the ache that resided in his heart for the past two years. The cold bites back at him, digging into his toes and fingertips and his nose, and he can't help but give a burst of triumphant laughter as he regained his sense of belonging on the ice again. 

It was as if he was placed right back onto the throne where he once abandoned.

* * *

 _‘She looks really pretty’,_ Hinata thought, gazing at the long glides Kiyo was making in her practice. He paused in his routine to grab a drink and to take a small break from ice skating.

He scrunched up his nose, but he did admit that Kiyo was certainly pretty. And, in a way, he should be attracted to her like the other boys and classmates. They talk about weird stuff middle-schoolers talk about - holding hands, going on dates, k-...

...kissing.

(The other explicit stuff never connected in his head, though he was aware of the subject.)

He didn't understand it all if he's honest. Hinata understood what the whole idea is about being in love and wanting to date, but the concept itself falls short to him when he tries to think of dating Kiyo. Those... ideas were, quite frankly, really weird to him.

 _“Oi, what are you doing here, brat?”_ Yurio calls out, huffing as he latches his hand onto Hinata’s head. The younger hisses.

“ _I’m practicing like usual, Yurio-senpai!”_

 _“Sure doesn’t look like it.”_  

 _“Отъебись! (Fuck off!)”_ Hinata curses, and Yurio could only bark out a laugh.

 _“At least your Russian pronunciation is better, маленький засранец. (little fucker).”_ Yurio equally curses back, but it falls short on Hinata who had only learned 3 so far. Nonetheless, the boy smiles brightly up at him.

“Ja! I’ve been practicing, but Yuri-nii said I shouldn’t say it too much.”

“Fuck him, мышка, ya’ got to learn the language if you’re planning to come and see us in St. Petersburg.” Yurio glances over to Kiyo, who was intently focused on her skates. “Bring your partner too, to practice and all.”

Hinata follows his view and sighs as he makes eye contact with Kiyo. She glances at Hinata first and then at Yurio, before resuming her routine. She faced away, but Hinata can easily see how her neck was slightly flushed. He saw it. And a part of him was offended.

 _'What… why do I feel…'_ Hinata clutches his shirt, looking down with a conflicted face. It wasn't like he liked Kiyo. He was aware of their strained friendship (if you could call it that), so obviously it wasn't because she was blushing after seeing him. Wait, she looked at both him and Yurio. Was she upset that Yurio was here?

His hand tightened on his shirt. The weird emotion spiked again, but he didn't know what it meant nor why it happened. Then suddenly, a hand touched his neck, soft and gentle, with a hint of concern.

" _Shoyou, are you alright…?_ "

And then it connected.

The boy flushes darkly, his body going rigid as he became all too aware of how close Yurio was. Hinata hadn't noticed it very often, but now he can see how pretty Yurio was. He hadn't noticed how those eyes were crystal clear, full of competitiveness and boldness, a sea of twisting, chaotic waves. The redhead held his breath, twisting his shirt at the sudden realization from earlier. She was blushing not because she was upset that Yurio was here, but because she liked him. The sudden realization that Kiyo liked Yurio made him shake - from anger or jealousy or because he was overwhelmed, he doesn't know.

It connected.

And something was burning in his chest.

* * *

“ _Kiyo-san… can I ask you something?”_ Hinata piqued. After Yurio had left when Hinata assured him there was nothing wrong, Hinata went back to practice. It lasted awkwardly for roughly two hours, leaving them feeling unsatisfied and underwhelmed. Kiyo had asked to stop their routine and to continue tomorrow, since neither one of them were really ‘into it’.

 _“If it’s about practice.”_ She replied strictly. She had already removed her skates and was planning on leaving as soon as possible. Her sharp eyes contrasted with Hinata’s bright one, and she was aware of how they looked very well. She clenches her jaw and looks away, huffing and crossing her arms.

“ _Do… do you like,”_ Hinata barely whispered, his eyes cast down, “ _Do you like Yurio-senpai?”_

Kiyo stiffens, and sends a glare at him, “ _And? Why do you care?”_

 _“W… well,”_ Hinata stutters, feeling that odd constricting feeling again, “ _I just…  I wanted to know why…”_

Kiyo gave him a weird look, before shrugging, “ _Well, who wouldn’t? He’s been in numerous competitions with gold medals, and we all know how he’s capable of doing a quadruple jump.”_

'Don't act like you know him, Kiyo-san,’ Hinata bitterly thought, a low glare making its way onto his face. Kiyo continues, unaware of the steaming redhead.

“ _He’s tall, and cool, and he can lift me up. Once I’m in the senior competitions,  we’ll be partners and-”_

“ _You can’t!”_

The sudden shout made Kiyo recoil in surprise, and the look that crossed Hinata’s face made her even more shocked. She huffs, off-put and starting to grow annoyed.

 _“That’s got nothing to do with you, Hinata.”_  

She could see how his eyes burned into her, almost like being scorched. The way he was tense and upset made her slightly afraid. Kiyo had never seen Hinata this angry before, and it never occurred to her that Hinata would be anything less than annoying. The girl sighs and turns away, hoping to end the conversation soon, but a whispering voice barely above a threat made her shiver.

“ _It’s got everything to do with me, Kiyo.”_

Kiyo felt something dark crawl down her back when she glanced at Hinata. She quickly gathered her stuff, her heart pounding hard inside her chest. 

“ _Yeah. Sure.”_ She awkwardly shrugs, not meeting the scathing glare Hinata had, “ _I’ll see you tomorrow, Hinata.”_

“ _As usual.”_ Was his curt reply as Kiyo rushes out of the rink.

Once outside, Kiyo spots Yurio standing near the entrance. With practice ending on a sour note, the sight of Yurio casually leaning against the wall made her heart leap. The sunset behind him made him look more sensual and appealing. Immediately her mood lifted, and with a pleasing smile, she rushes up to him.

  
“ _Hello, Yurio-san_!”

“ _You look scared_.” He comments. The way he said that so off-handedly made her blink in stupor.

“ _Uh, well, I think Hinata and I had a fight._ ” Yurio blinked, mildly interested, but it wasn’t the first time Hinata got upset on something. The boy had a lot of negative emotions bottled up inside him that he uses ice skating to express on. Usually off the ice, Hinata kept his emotions in check, but sometimes he can get really intense on certain subjects. Yurio idly wonders if it was about ice skatin.

 _“A fight? Well, just be careful.”_ He replies casually, pulling out his phone and dismissing Kiyo’s presence entirely. The girl huffed, offended.

 _“I am, Yurio-san.”_ She crosses her arms, although nothing seemed to remove the boy’s eyes off his phone, _“He was being weird and he asked me this dumb question.”_

_“Oh.”_

Slightly exasperated, she vents, _“Yeah, he asked me if I liked-”_ Kiyo pauses, flushing darkly, before quickly changing her words, _“-that I liked him! Isn’t that weird, Yurio-san?”_

“ _Hm. Congrats._ ” Uninterested as he looked, Yurio was surprised. He didn’t actually care much for Hinata’s partner (who’s name still escapes him), but if he likes her, he would have to play nice, he supposes. “ _And what? You two going to date now?_ ”

“ _Ew! No!_ ” She yells, causing Yurio to twitch. Kiyo crosses her arms and flips her hair across her shoulders. “ _He’s short and not even good looking! I swear, the only good thing going for him is his ice skating skills- and that’s_ **_only_ ** _because Hinata learned it from you, Yurio-san!_ ”

Oh, how that irritated him. In less than 3 minutes in this conversation, Yurio’s opinion of Kiyo had dropped substantially. He sent a seething glare at the poor girl, who took a step back.

“ _Get out of my sight_.”

“ _H… huh?”_

_“I don’t need to repeat myself, сука (bitch). Get. Lost."_

She quietly shivers at the dark tone before dashing off. Yurio huffs in annoyance.

_"Yurio… senpai?"_

_"What is it now?"_ He turns around to see a wide-eyed Hinata, a dancing sunset playing with the red hair. He grumbles, _"Shoyou, does she_ **_have_ ** _to be your partner? You should look for someone else if-"_

 _"It's fine, Yurio-senpai!"_  

 _"But-"_ Yurio quiets when he felt Hinata tug on his shirt, a dark blush burning the boy's ears and neck.

_"I-it's fine. I'm… glad you stuck up for me, senpai."_

Yurio stood there, odd but content, unaware of the thundering heartbeat in Hinata's chest. 

 _"Yeah, well. She was getting on my nerves."_ Hinata's hand dropped, but Yurio grasps it quickly, _"Anyway, we're late. The bastard and Viktor are starting dinner and I don't want that old man to eat my portion again."_

The redhead flushes darker, but a bright smile shines on his expression, _"Yeah, let's hurry, Yurio-senpai!"_

His hand gripped tightly onto Yurio's for a long time.

* * *

Viktor was, by far, very pleased with how well Hinata was performing. He landed the first half perfectly, and was impressed with some of the footwork. The silver haired man nodded to the melody and the expression Hinata held. Although predictable, the way Hinata wins the crowd is overwhelming them and striking hard, giving a sense of being drowned in the ocean. All at once but wonderfully comfortable. You knew what to expect, and the boy could take that expectation, and raise it higher. It was what Hinata was capable of doing. In summary, Hinata was considered maybe an S-rank figure skater, as compared to him, who identifies as a SSS. 

He whispered little comments throughout the program, pleased but reading well into Hinata's movement. He was stiff in certain parts- especially in footwork and spins (maybe he was nervous? Scared?), yet his jumps were nearly perfect in the second half (he flunked on the quadruple salchow + triple toe loop by messing on the landing but he made up for it in the next quadruple toe loop). Viktor leans back casually, suddenly aware that Yuri gave him a small little smile. His heart melted.

"You've been muttering to yourself this entire time, Vitya." Viktor lightly snorts.

"I'm still upset on what that little girl had done, but I'm pleased with this outcome. Maybe it was fate that their partnership would end."

"Don't say that," Yuri then turns his attention to Kageyama, "I'm not sure his boyfriend knows about Kiyo, yet. I'm sorta waiting for _something_ to happen."

Viktor nods quietly as he follows the same line of sight. Kageyama is, from his first impression, very explosive. It's a bit of a good thing when you're able to express so much, and he wasn't afraid that Hinata was hanging around with such a whirlwind of a guy. But seeing how those two casually interact, seeing how Kageyama easily expresses such emotions might be good for Hinata to express his own. 

His eyes drift down to how the boy was tightly clasping his hands, fingers trembling with focused eyes. 

Ah.

Well, now. Isn't that a familiar look?

* * *

Kageyama’s hands were trembling, he noticed. But he couldn't look away. He can feel his leg impatiently bouncing, to the point he vaguely hears the comments littered by his teammates and the skaters. Kageyama catches awed whispers and approving tips, but all he could really focus on was the boy lost in the world of ice and music. 

The way Hinata immediately got swept into the crescendo of Agape made him suddenly aware of their vast difference in this particular sport. Of course, he has never really admitted to feeling intimidated in anything at all, but just seeing how passionate Hinata is, made him feel very aware of his own skills.

Not like he wanted to compete in ice skating, but he thought it wouldn't be that hard (atleast until he got on the ice, his overconfidence melted away real fast). And seeing how easy Hinata made it look, he felt like he could, with a couple of practices, catch up to Hinata very easily.

How wrong he was.

Oh, how wrong he was.

The poor boy tightened his jaw as waves of envy mixed with delighted surprise washed over him. It was uncomfortable but new, and he welcomed the chaotic feelings. Because it was Hinata. Because as long as it was from Hinata, he welcomed it.

In his mind, all he can think about was being next to him. It was unfair Hinata was skating by himself. It was unfair he was by himself on the ice, falling deeper and deeper into a world he can't explore. A strong spike of anxiety hit through his chest again - the thought of never being with Hinata if he returns to ice skating made him tense. What was he supposed to do though? It wasn't like he can just forbid Hinata from skating ever again. He could never do that. And he wasn't quitting volleyball anytime soon. His thoughts swirled on how to keep Hinata from quitting volleyball. The competition, yes, but what will happen afterwards? He grinds his teeth.

But even though he felt like his heart was tearing itself apart, a voice in the back of his mind told him exactly what to do.

If this ice kingdom steals Hinata from him, he'll just have to break through the doors and lay his claim, so that no matter what sport he's playing in, Hinata will always be his-

...his partner.


	8. The Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehHa-
> 
> also if you look closely 
> 
> Something interesting might happen

As soon as the performance ended, Hinata was brought back to reality by the sound of clapping. He turns over, his hands dropping by his side as his gaze follows the source. He can hear the praises from Karasuno and the skaters, but his eyes were following back to Kageyama’s. He was a mess - the dark look he had was stormy and menacing, like he had discovered something life-changing. His hands were tightly clenched as his slumped form was rigid. The moment Kageyama met Hinata’s eyes, he jumps and turns his gaze away. Hinata notes the flush starting from his ears to his neck.

_ ‘He must be cold,’ _ Hinata idly thought, before skating closer to the opening. He was then bombarded by both sides.

“Yo- dude, that was freakin’ awesome!” Noya yells, clutching onto Hinata’s shoulders and shaking him. Tanaka besides him follows suit.

“How did you jump that high? And on ice, too?” Tanaka pokes.

The two excitedly pulls on Hinata’s arms until Daichi yanks both of them off.

“You two got a lot of nerve to drag him when he’s obviously exhausted.”

“But-”

“Nope,” Suga interrupts, pulling a sleepy Hinata towards him. Instinctively, the boy leans onto Suga, nuzzling into the elder’s neck. “We’ve all had a long day. I’m sure after dinner with his family, Hinata will pass out.”

“Haha, you might be right about that,” Yuri smiles, leaning over Suga to pat Hinata’s head. The boy obviously was drowsy, blinking slowly at the people surrounding him. Yuri chuckles fondly. "Alright, c'mere Hina-chan. Let's get dinner first, and then I'll walk you back to the dorms, ok?"

"Mmkay…" was his sleepy reply as he was ushered by Yuri to the locker room. 

"We should also get going as well, Viktor-san," Ukai comments, side-glancing at Takeda who was furiously engrossed with asking the triplets to have Hinata's recording. They weren't budging unless he gave them cash. "It's a long day and it'll be good to have a meal and some rest before tomorrow's practice."

Daichi grumbles, "I still don't know how he managed to pull off such an intensive routine."

Yamaguchi piques, "Eh? Was it really that hard?"

"All of the moves you saw were ultimately being controlled," Tsukishima comments, pushing up his glasses as he quickly makes his way towards the exit. Daichi gave him an amusing grin that irked the tall middle-blocker. "It's... because of his monstrous stamina that he's even able to do any jumps on the ice at all."

Asahi nods, "Height is everything in volleyball, but here it's easy to see it's about power and control. It wasn't as obvious as in volleyball, but Hinata kinda gives off the air of a prince, huh?"

Noya and Tanaka nods excitedly, chuckling as they look back to Kageyama, who was still stuck to his seat. Suga sweats.

"Alright everyone, let's hurry and get going. I think we've bothered the Nishigori family long enough."

As Karasuno quickly thanked the owners for using their rink (such polite boys, Yuuko croons), Yurio was tempted to follow Hinata into the locker room, hoping to strike up a conversation (by that, he meant lecture) about his jumps. Viktor catches Yurio by ruffling his hair, causing the young man to hiss at him.

"Aw, are you lonely, little Yurio?"

"Fuck no!"

"Haha, you're not being honest again," Viktor glances at the buzzing volleyball team, grinning as he notices how one still hasn't moved from his spot. "Why don't you go on ahead and start dinner with Sho-chan and Yuri?"

Yurio squints, before side-glancing at Kageyama, "Fine. Don't be too harsh on him."

"My, I would never do such a thing when I'm thinking of adopting another son."

* * *

It was dark, save for the lights above the rink. Everything that was behind the wall and away from the ice seemed to make the rink look brighter. Kageyama hums, tightening his laces like he did the past five times. He didn't want to mess this up - the manager was kind enough to let him skate alone this late evening and even more so to leave him alone in the rink. Hinata is out with his stupid dinner with Yurio and the rest while his teammates were exhausted from volleyball practice. God forbid he asks for help from the other teams as well. Kageyama needed to blow off some steam, and the only place he could think of right now wasn't the court…

...but the rink.

His skates met the freezing ice, and he shuffles forward, feeling the shift of his weight change. He grunts, disapprovingly at the change, but took a deep breath. The chill has a distinct smell; it clicked in his head that it reminded him of how Hinata smelled when he finished ice skating. A mix of melting snow and fresh flowers, like springtime. The setter shakes his head.

After seeing how intense Hinata was in his practice, he nearly shook at the difference of skill. It was... frustrating. Agonizing. Borderline painful to watch at how Hinata drowned in a sea of ice - frozen as if time only allowed him and the music to play. He wanted to be there, too. He wanted to skate next to Hinata, pull him close, feel the curve of his body against his and-

Well. He was never going to do that. Not with his skills on the ice anyway…

...which brought him here. At the ice rink. Alone, with the lingering feelings of envy and impatience thrumming underneath his chest. 

He took another breath, faintly chuckling that the cold has a certain smell to it.

With one skate back in a t-shape, he edges off. His knees shook but he moved forward.  _ Faster _ , he thought, doing the same position again and using a bit more force. He glides a bit quicker, but his feet are still uncertain.  _ Again! _

He attempts to glide forward, remembering the details of how Hinata did it. His arms out, his back curved, his hips that swivel to change directions but never the path, the way he…

A chuckle that echoes around the rink nearly causes Kageyama to fall, but he quickly catches himself. He turns around, glaring at the source but was met with brilliant lavender eyes that accompanied silver hair.

"You are doing it wrong, child. I think you're too... distracted by a little sunflower."

"What... Viktor-san? What are you doing...?" Kageyama could feel his ears turn red. He mumbled that he's grateful it wasn't Hinata who found him but to have a professional figure skater watch him skate made his nerves jump. Especially, judging by the comment, that he was doing it completely wrong.

Viktor points at his own feet, sticking them out on the ice, "You focus too much on the toe pick. Go for the back - like the bridge or heel."

The setter blinks in surprise, before looking down at his ice patterns. There were dips from him using his toe pick.

"Oh..." It clicked, slightly, like he had half of the seatbelt in but not quite. He forces his feet into a t-position and-

"No, no," an exasperated sigh escaped Viktor, stepping onto the ice carefully. He wasn't wearing his usual skates. Today, he opted for the ones he wore when he first met Yuri (he was feeling nostalgic, being in Hasetsu and seeing Hinata). He had a feeling Kageyama was going to stay after the performance, so he stayed behind as well to see what the boy was up to. "For a beginner, don't focus on the t-position. For now, just... skate as comfortably as you can."

_ 'Comfortably???' _ Kageyama scoffs but he adjusts himself, his feet planted on the ice more firmly to match his shoulders. Viktor nods.

"Right. You're more comfortable this way in a two-front position. Focus on marching and gliding on two feet."

Kageyama wanted to ask why, all of a sudden and from all the people in the world, he was getting free lessons from Viktor. His voice died in his throat when he noticed how focused and intense the man's stare was. Kageyama recognizes that as the look Hinata gives when he's about to run from one side of the court to the other - a look that was determined and finalized.

"Now... practice."

* * *

"You like that boy, with the dark hair and angry eyes," Yuri stated, watching with a touch of delight as Hinata's ears turn a scarlet red, his eyes blown wide at the mention of Kageyama. Yurio took a sip from his drink sitting next to him, scowling when Kageyama was mentioned.

He stutters, "N... no- I don't- We're just teammates! Just partners!"

" _ Partners _ , huh?"

"Not like that, Yuri-nii!" 

Yurio scoffed beside them, muttering into his drink, " _ Ja _ , like you two weren't seconds away from having sex on the ice before I got to the rink."

"Oh my  _ god _ ."

Yuri laughed, ruffling the teen's head. He missed the simple conversations he shared with Hinata, and now seeing him flushing at the mention of his crush pulled onto his heart. Seeing Hinata like this made him proud and a little sad at how much Hinata had changed over time.

"But you  _ do  _ like him." He smiles, amused at how Hinata covered his face. "I see the way you look at him. Just like how I look at Viktor."

Hinata perks at that, "...what do I look like when I look at Kageyama-kun...?"

A laugh, "Oh, like he was the  _ tastiest  _ pork cutlet bowl you’ve ever seen."

"Oh god," Hinata plugs his ear dramatically, "I do  _ not _ think of Kageyama-kun like that! I’m innocent! A child!!"

That made both Yuri's laugh out loud before Yurio stole a piece of food from Hinata's plate. The younger hisses at him. 

"You and I both know you are not having any of those 'sweet, innocent' thoughts about that brat," Yurio smirked.

Hinata faces away, pursing his lips, "Well… I mean, he's... attractive."

"Uh-huh. In what way?" Yuri asked, a bit too smugly as Hinata starts to push the noodles around.

"Uh, well. He's... good at volleyball. Like, he's a genius at it! He's not smart when it comes to homework though, so I can't cheat off of him," The redhead trails, his tilting his head as he remembers bits and pieces of the setter. "Kageyama-kun can be a bit mean, but... he has moments where he's nice. He looks out for me when I feel down, or when I'm frustrated, he'll pick a fight so I'll blow off some steam. He knows me, and I trust him and..."

"And...?"

His eyes drift down to his hands, the ramen starting to look less appetizing, "Well, it doesn't matter how I feel. I know he doesn't feel the same way."

The coughing caught Hinata off-guard, as Yuri thumps his chest to ease the disbelief bubbling inside him, "W… what?"

"He doesn't like me! So, why bother...?"

Yuri and Yurio gave him a deadpan look, "You're joking, right?"

"No...?"

Yuri sighed, placing his hands over his forehead, "So, you don't even notice how he...?"

Hinata hisses, "I don't know what you're talking about, Yuri-nii. He only sees me as his partner- or even his first friend!"

Yuri waves his hand, "Okay, okay, easy there." The elder pauses, taking a sip out of his beer as he muses.

Not to say he was any better when Viktor appeared out of nowhere to coach him, and very much rolled the ball that started his feelings for Viktor. Though, he sweats, he technically started it all when he drunkenly asked Viktor to be his coach at the GPR after party (that he still cannot believe nor remember an ounce of). Even when he joked around and spent so much time with Viktor, the other's feelings were elusive to him because nothing was ever mentioned. Although, there was one thing that Yuri noticed that Viktor did that told him that he was loved.

He sets the beer down, looking straight at the younger boy he practically raised, "Well, then, why don't you try something?"

"Like what...?"

Yuri leans over, and in a hushed tone, he tells him to notice the one thing that tells him that Kageyama likes him.

* * *

"Again."

Kageyama leans back, his toe pick catch on the ice as he attempts to do a single waltz jump. He lands shakily, causing him to land on his side.

"Again."

He growls, standing up straight and in position, doing the same motion that was fueled with a touch of anger. He lands it shakily on one leg, but doesn’t fall. He flips over to Viktor, giving him a smirk until he saw how Viktor was still frowning at him.

**"Again."**

Viktor narrows his eyes at the younger boy in front of him, who was angrily returning his gaze. Kageyama repeated the same action, nearly slamming his skate onto the ice. It was loud, slightly arrogant, but his landing was firm and that was good enough for Viktor. The older man relaxes, his eyes still holding a mix of mirth and provocation. Either way, it pissed off Kageyama.

"You've gotten well, little bird, but you still can't fly." Viktor hums playfully, ignoring the glaring daggers of the first-year, "Ah, you might hold a feather against your teammates, but you can't reach Sho-chan's basic abilities yet."

"Says who, you old man?"

"Says the professional figure skater." Viktor pouts, but his words stung, "And here I was, trying to help you win Sho-chan's heart! You have shown some talent on the ice thus far, but if you skated competitively, you'd be kicked out as an  _ embarrassment _ ."

Kageyama merely hisses, skating past Viktor to take off his skates. They've been practicing the basics for the entire evening - it was past midnight at this point. In the short amount of time they shared, Kageyama concluded three things about Viktor.

One: Viktor is a hellish coach. He makes being coached by Ukai seem like child's play. If there was even one mess-up on any part of his basics, he would have to repeat it an additional five times. He managed to get the easier ones taken cared of fast - forward skating, forward glide, chasses, and swizzles for example. Doing them backwards took the most amount of time - like backward skating and backward swizzles. Don’t even get him started on crossovers (which he managed backward, but doing it forwards took so many attempts funny enough).

Two: he was damn good at being a coach. Kageyama hates to admit it, but the redos were really good for him. Repetition and understanding seem to be his method, and with Viktor explaining the movements very well, Kageyama didn’t struggle (much). Though, the repetitions burned into his legs and thighs.

And lastly…

...he hated how Viktor seemed to know every damn emotion he felt. Kageyama is aware that if he gets pissed off at something, he doesn't hide it very well. So in an attempt to keep his anger under control, he tries to ignore it, pushing it to the back of his mind. Viktor immediately saw through it, and encouraged him to use that anger to focus on skating.

_ "There's nothing wrong with being frustrated, but," he paused placing a finger on his lips, humming lightly, "But if I were you, I'd use it in my performance. Like how Yurio put Agape into his... well, Agape program." _

_ Kageyama drew a blank face at him. Viktor frowns, tilting his head. _

_ "I guess it's not easy to relate... um," he snaps his fingers, "Like in volleyball! You know that moment when you pass to your teammate too fast because you're determined to win!" _

_ Kageyama could only squint at the coach before vaguely nodding. He understood, more or less, but to imagine volleyball and ice skating together was a hard image to come up with. He supposed that instead of ignoring the emotions he's been trying to hide lately, he should use it to fuel his practices.  _

_ He looked down at his hands and clenched them tightly.  _

_ So... let's see how far they'll take him. _

* * *

When Kageyama switched back to his regular shoes, he nearly toppled over. The change from wearing ice skates all evening to his usual shoes made him feel every muscle shift in his legs, lower back, and hips. Even his ass hurt for some damn reason. The setter cursed loudly when he fell back down onto the bench, causing Viktor to laugh at that.

"To think a volleyball player would feel the strain, haha! You should go and stretch, little bird." Viktor waves off the glare Kageyama gave him.

"W... wait." 

"Hm...?" 

Kageyama hesitates, "...thanks for the lessons, Viktor-san. I know I'm a difficult person... and I'm not sure why I even started skating, though, but thank you."

It took a second before Viktor smiled broadly, shaking with an overwhelming need to hug the younger boy. He let out a chuckle, covering his smile badly in an attempt to look controlled. His bright eyes failed to hide the related feelings.

"Hehe, you don't give yourself enough credit, kid. You did pretty well on the first night."

"But... I'm sure I’m not as good as Yurio-"

"Oh?" Viktor interrupts, crossing his arms as he prepares to draw out more of Kageyama's feelings. "Yurio had talent from his early years, and he works very hard for it. Even a certain sunflower can’t help but be curious about his skills. But are you actually curious about Yurio, or… someone else?”

Kageyama stayed silent, clenching his hands to feel the warmth return to his palm. The setter knew if the other man was going to ask more questions, his feelings would come to light. The feelings he had been repressing and keeping quiet (barely, one should add). The little thoughts that bug him whenever he so much gets a reminder of Hinata.

Viktor watches in amusement as flickers of emotions dance across the younger's eyes. It took him back to when he first saw the video of Yuri skating his routine - the concern of the growing feelings inside him, all stirred up because of that one night when Yuri drunkenly asked him to coach him. Viktor wasn’t one to focus much on another person - he usually just went with the flow of things - be it sex, love, or drama. It was all fun and casual to him since the only thing that really mattered at the time was figure skating.

But when he watched that video of Yuri  _ perfectly  _ doing his routine to  _ Stammi Vicino _ , his heart crumbled at the emotions pouring into the program. The idea for the program was to declare his devotion to figure skating - a performance of performance. So when Viktor watched how Yuri did it, he was bothered by the emotions he read in the little expressions he had - longing, devotion, one-sided love, grief, heartache, depression. Viktor couldn’t narrow it down to a single emotion, but felt it - and he was bothered. Bothered that such a skilled figure skater was able to convey so much, and yet he never appeared in the Grand Prix finals with him. After finding out the truth about Yuri, how he lost his dog and how he lost in the Grand Prix, he had decided to accept the odd invitation to coach Yuri. 

Though Viktor did struggle with focusing on teaching Yuri how to figure skate whenever he’s near him. His approach was too casual and too informal for a man that was pretty conservative. Not to mention, Viktor was usually unfamiliar with falling in love with anyone besides ice skating, so when he first welcomed the emotions (as he usually did), he felt awkward and impatient, like he was being tested everyday. In the end, he felt it was inevitable to fall for someone amazing like Yuri, and thinking about the nights they spend together now makes him wonder why it took him so long to claim Yuri as his.

But this boy in front of him was struggling to express his true feelings, and if he tried to confess he would end up just starting another fight. The flicker of that wholesome love and adoration wasn't missed by him when Viktor met Karasuno for the first time. And how casual the boy said he’ll “be watching” Hinata skate made him grin. However, the issue still stands that neither of these two are good at telling the other how they feel, and if they won't stop beating around the bush, Viktor muses that they'll never get the ball rolling. 

"Before you leave little bird, I have a question." 

Kageyama frowns but nods already attempting to stretch out one leg. 

"What makes you love Sho-chan so much?"

The question made Kageyama's ears darken, all the way down to his neck.

"L-love?!"

Viktor nods, "Ja, you don't do a good job at hiding it, too. You're lucky my son is oblivious, but, well, it’s one of the reasons why I love him. What about you?" He leans back onto the rink's wall, posing casually but the way he clenched his jaw made the question seem less innocent than it is.

“I… I, well, I  _ like  _ him.” Viktor sighs loudly.

“ _ Ja _ , that’s obvious, but  _ why? _ What makes you want to…” He gestures vaguely, “Hug him? Hold hands?  Заниматься любовью  _ (make love to) _ ?”

Kageyama sweats, before rubbing his hands together, thinking back to the classroom with the sunset. The way Hinata was so lost in thought and how his eyes glimmer from the sun’s light. The way he looked so far away and yet so close. The memory alone made his ears burn darker. “...he’s… warm…?”

The light  _ ‘huh” _ makes Kageyama continue, never moving his eyes from his hands, “He’s short and dumb, and I hate how… I hate how  _ good _ he looks on the ice and in volleyball. That dumbass doesn’t even know how many people looked at him during practice when he spikes or blocks. He’s soft, too. His hands are like… clouds.  _ God _ , this is so  _ weird _ !” Kageyama lets out a frustrated yell that makes Viktor laugh.

“Yeah, love is like that sometimes,” Viktor replies amusedly.  _ ‘This boy really has it bad for my son.’ _ “But they’re all good reasons.”

It took a second, but with a meek voice, Kageyama asks, “What… what do you love about Hinata?”

At that, Viktor’s eyes shined brilliantly and fondly, that Kageyama realized that this night was going to be even longer.

“Well, for starters, my son is really...”

* * *

Her black hair flowed like waves behind her as she peers up at the familiar Hasetsu Castle. It wasn’t a real castle, as she always knew, but thinking about how this place used to be her kingdom made her smile. She lifts up her duffle bag that carried an assortment of items - her skates, mainly. A tall boy with blond hair calls for her.

“Hey! Don’t leave me behind so suddenly!”

She turns, a graceful twist as the wind surrounds her gently.

“Don’t mind it, Sanada-san. I guess I got excited.” She looks back at the castle, looming in the distance. She turns back to him, a forlorn smile on her face. “It’s been 2 years since I’ve come back to my homerink. It feels… different.”

Sanada sighs, exasperated, “Well, yeah. Last time we were here, you got hurt by your old partner. I wouldn’t think this place would bring good memories.

She remains silent, letting the wind whisper around her. Her eyes glisten as she takes a step forward.

“But I feel like something’s good is going to happen soon.”

“Whatever you say…

...Kiyo-san.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy! I know this is a rather late update, but I'm kinda vibing-
> 
> I'm sick but I mean,,, well,,, what do you guys think so far? Am I writing this fanfic alright? Are there any confusing bits that you'd like me to clarify? I'd love to talk with you guys some more;;;;
> 
> In any case, I hope you all stay healthy and well- je suis un peu malade mais!!!! Je suis essayer mon meilleur!!! ;A;


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